Advancing a global HIV agenda for gay and other men who have sex with men
19 June 2006
The Alliance is supporting a series of activities at this year’s International AIDS Conference to improve the quality and scale of programming with gay and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in developing countries. A key activity will be a two-day pre-conference satellite meeting in Toronto.
MSM & HIV: advancing a global agenda for gay men and other men who have sex with men will take place on August 10–11 in Toronto and will bring together an internationally diverse group of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, and the organisations that work with them. The meeting will examine the impact of HIV on the lives of MSM around the world, share the experiences of gay and other men who have sex with men in responding to HIV, and agree on how to dramatically increase the level of HIV work being carried out with MSM.
“If we are to respond effectively to HIV and AIDS, it is critical that we strengthen existing prevention efforts among populations that are most affected. This is particularly true of efforts to prevent transmission among men who have sex with men in developing countries, whose rights and interests have largely been neglected in strategies to reach populations key to the epidemic,” said Alliance Senior Policy Adviser Joseph O’Reilly, who is a member of the event’s organising committee.
Delegates will have the opportunity to network and begin discussing issues around MSM and HIV and AIDS, and it is hoped that the event will stimulate continued interaction throughout the conference, including at the Global Village.
The event will include presentations on various MSM-focused initiatives including the Alliance’s Frontiers Prevention Project which is working with key populations, including MSM in Cambodia, Ecuador and India, Morocco and Madagascar.
The Alliance will also be launching a report on the state of MSM-related HIV programming at Toronto.
Advancing a Global Agenda for Gay Men and Other Men who have Sex with Men
Thursday 10 August, 13:00-17:30, Friday 11 August, 09:00-18:30
Location: Toronto Marriott Eaton Centre Hotel, 525 Bay Street, Toronto.
More information on the event and registration details are available at www.msm-aids2006.org
Enquiries about the Alliance’s MSM-focused activities at Toronto should be directed to Joseph O’Reilly.
