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For Immediate Release Andy Quan |
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Global Forum on Men Who Have Sex with Men & HIV to Examine Gaps in HIV/AIDS Research, Care and Prevention at XVII International AIDS Conference Peter Piot of UNAIDS to Address Over 450 Participants from 80 Countries Los Angeles, Calif., July 30, 2008 – Continuing the work it began at its launch at AIDS 2006, The Global Forum on Men Who Have Sex with Men & HIV (MSMGF) today announced a full program of activities at the XVII International AIDS Conference – to be held in Mexico City August 3-8 – to bring much-needed attention to a population at heightened risk for HIV infection around the globe. MSMGF will hold a pre-conference satellite focused on MSM and HIV on Friday, August 1 and Saturday, August 2, with a just-announced address and question and answer session from Peter Piot, executive director of UNAIDS, scheduled for August 1 at 1:30 p.m. (CDT). MSMGF will hold a press conference to recap its satellite at noon on Wednesday, August 6 in the XVII International AIDS Conference Media Center. In addition, MSMGF will exhibit at the AIDS 2008 Global Village, re-launch its online presence with a new Web site and participate in a first-ever international march against stigma, discrimination and anti-homophobia set for August 2. “As the eyes of the world focus on AIDS in August, we want to ensure that the dire situation facing men who have sex with men, their communities and, ultimately, their governments, is addressed head-on at AIDS 2008,” said Don Baxter, executive director of the Australian Federation of AIDS Organizations and a co-chair of MSMGF’s Steering Committee. “The impact of HIV on MSM cannot be overlooked, and there is an urgent need for international action now.” The pre-conference event will feature more than 450 researchers, community-based experts and human rights advocates, who will gather to examine how insufficient global research on HIV and MSM contributes to a dearth of HIV prevention, treatment and care resources targeting their unique needs. It begins at 9:00 a.m. Friday, August 1 at the Sheraton Maria Isabel Hotel & Towers, Paseo de la Reforma, 325 Col. Cuauhtemoc, and lasts until midday August 2. With a welcome scheduled from Dr. Jorge Saavedra, general director of Mexico’s National AIDS Program (CENSIDA), and Craig McClure of the International AIDS Society (IAS), plenary speakers at the forum are David Wilson of the World Bank, Jeffrey O’Malley of the United Nations Development Programme and David Winters of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. At the close of the satellite, attendees will join an international march against stigma, discrimination and homophobia beginning at 1:00 p.m. on August 2 at Independence Column. “High rates of HIV are emerging among gay, bisexual and other MSM around the world, in a climate of stigma, discrimination and criminalization,” said Robert Carr of Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition in Jamaica and a co-chair of the Steering Committee. “As a result, we have extremely limited research on the risk behaviors and vulnerabilities experienced by these groups in the developing world. This research is desperately needed to bring issues facing this understudied population into the light.” Within the larger conference, MSMGF will hold a press conference featuring researchers and experts from Africa, Asia, Latin America and other regions at 12:00 p.m. (CDT) on Wednesday, August 6. In addition, MSMGF’s booth in the Global Village will foster networking and sharing of ideas by MSM from around the world over the course of the conference. In a 2006 policy brief, UNAIDS estimated that globally, less than one in 20 MSM have access to the HIV prevention, treatment and care they need. Recent research on HIV among MSM in lower- and middle-income countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the former Soviet Union indicates that MSM are at 19 times greater risk of being infected with HIV compared with the general population. According to estimates, it remains a crime to be homosexual or engage in sexual contact with a partner of the same gender in some 86 member states of the United Nations, which keeps MSM from seeking the prevention education, care and treatment. “Even when epidemiologic and behavioral research indisputably supports prioritizing sexual minorities, there is often a shameful neglect of MSM needs in discussions about policy, programs, and resources,” said George Ayala, an HIV prevention expert and executive officer of MSMGF. “Inadequate representation of sexual minorities in planning processes at all levels fuels the widening gap in resources, programs and services for MSM. This must change.” In advance of AIDS 2008, MSMGF has re-launched its Web site in an effort to reach three central goals of information sharing, community building and advocacy. The new site features resources listed by region and subject, as well as event calendars from around the globe and a directory through which visitors can connect with other organizations and funders in their region. For more information, visit www.msmandhiv.org. To register for the pre-conference event, please contact Justin Burke at jburke@apla.org or +1 323 333 0669. Steering Committee Co-Chairs Don Baxter (Australia), Australian Federation of AIDS Organizations Funders: amfAR, UNAIDS, Aids Fonds Netherlands, OSI/SHARP, HIVOS ABOUT THE GLOBAL FORUM ON MSM & HIV The Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF) is a network of community-based organizations, AIDS service organizations, MSM groups and other agencies that work at the global and national level to advocate for improved HIV programming for MSM. With a Secretariat housed at AIDS Project Los Angeles and a Steering Committee of 21 members from 17 countries in the Global North and South, MSMGF is committed to responding to HIV/AIDS among MSM through advocacy, education and programs that promote human rights and support the empowerment of MSM around the world. For more information, visit www.msmandhiv.org. ###
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