MSM

ABSTRACT Côte d’Ivoire is known throughout West Africa as the most tolerant country, where gay, lesbian and transgender people from all backgrounds do not have to fear the same kind of systematic violence or opprobrium that plagues them elsewhere in the region. Yet for all this openness, the country is hardly an oasis: sex workers and men who have sex with men continue to encounter often violent stigmatization, the manifestation of a culture of ignorance and suspicion, particularly within the security and defense forces.

ABSTRACT HIV incidence is on the rise in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, with the MSM population acknowledged as the main driver of the HIV epidemic in that region. There is no reliable evidence base for prevalence figures in the LGBT community, but it is clear that increased vulnerability of the MSM and LGBT communities to HIV-infection is strongly linked with negative attitudes to these communities expressed by the state and by parliamentary officials, and with the lack or inadequacy of specific health services. The GFO talked with experts from the Eurasian Coalition of Male Health to explore what is behind the numbers and statistics.

ABSTRACT An audit of three grants to Tanzania by the Office of the Inspector General has found that although the country continues to make progress against the three diseases, quality of service issues persist, particularly in the HIV program. The audit also found that men who have sex with men continue to face major barriers accessing services.

ABSTRACT The Global Fund Board recently approved three TB and HIV grants for Tanzania, two of which have a government principal recipient (the Ministry of Finance and Planning). The third PR is AMREF Health Africa. The Technical Review Panel cited numerous strengths in the funding request, including the fact that the request identified key populations for TB: i.e. HIV-positive adults and children, mining communities, elderly persons, prisoners, people with diabetes, people who inject drugs, health workers and people living in urban slums.

ABSTRACT In its audit of Global Fund grants to Ukraine, the Office of the Inspector General handed the country a mixed report card. It said that implementation arrangements, as well as procurement and supply chain management, were “partially effective,” the second highest ranking in the OIG’s rating scheme. However, it added, the effectiveness of program processes and controls needs significant improvement. The OIG also observed that Ukraine is scheduled to start transferring responsibility for key programs from NGOs to the government in the absence of a detailed transition plan.

ABSTRACT Despite the fact that the Technical Review Panel noted the lack of interventions targeting men who have sex with men, and transgendered persons, when it reviewed Ethiopia’s HIV concept note from the 2014–2016 allocations, the TB/HIV funding request for 2017-2019 made no mention of these populations. The TRP and the Ethiopian country coordinating mechanism went back and forth on this issue during the review of the funding request and during grant-making. The TRP suggested that Ethiopia set up male health clinics where MSM could remain anonymous.

ABSTRACT Mozambique’s new TB/HIV grants will have a strong focus on retention and adherence for people who were recently initiated on antiretroviral treatment. According to the Technical Review Panel, civil society, including representatives of key populations, were fully engaged in the development of the funding request. Among the concerns raised by the TRP was that the interventions to improve treatment outcomes for multiple-drug-resistant TB were not clearly articulated. In addition, the TRP sent two matching funds requests back for iteration.

ABSTRACT The Technical Review Panel and the Grant Approvals Committee applauded the “appropriately targeted investments” in prevention programs, and the access to testing and treatment services in the HIV funding request submitted by the Philippines. However, the country’s matching funds request was sent back for iteration.

ABSTRACT In what local activists are hailing as a “very important step in ensuring the sustainability of HIV services in Macedonia," the newly elected government has ordered the Ministry of Health to budget a considerable amount of money to provide antiretrovirals for people living with HIV as well as prevention services to key affected populations such as men who have sex with men, persons who inject drugs, and sex workers.

ABSTRACT On 23 May 2017, Tanzania requested $703.4 million from the Global Fund for its HIV, TB and malaria programs as well as for building resilient and sustainable systems for health. Two new civil society principal recipients will implement a host of new and innovative interventions, including finding TB cases through “boda bodas” and “sputum fixers” and combining condoms with sanitary wear in dignity packs provided to out-of-school girls.