The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has had profound effects across health systems worldwide, and many HIV, viral hepatitis and/or sexually transmitted infection (STI) services have been interrupted. EuroTEST, including regional European and international organisations representing community, health care and public health institutions developed an assessment to understand how…
Also in times of a pandemic crisis, we must keep protecting human rights, and continue addressing discrimination and stigma.
We appreciate that WHO addresses these issues in their Q&A on COVID-19, HIV and antiretrovirals.
-> Click here to get to the WHO Q&A on COVID-19
AIDS Action Europe as a part of the Regional Collaborating Committee on Accelerated Response to Tuberculosis, HIV and Viral Hepatitis ((RCC-THV) hosted by the WHO Regional Office for Europe contributed to the development and co-signed this call to action on national governments, development partners, United Nations agencies and civil society in response to COVID-19.
During this time in which…
The EU HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis and tuberculosis Civil Society Forum is calling for membership for the term 2020-2022. Since its creation in 2005, the EU Civil Society Forum on HIV/AIDS and since 2017, the EU Civil Society Forum on HIV, viral hepatitis and tuberculosis (hereafter CSF), has been instrumental in providing and sharing critical information and evidence; in undertaking joint actions…
Public health measures in times of pandemics must always be human rights-based. We have learnt this well since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. We are observing with growing concern that some of the measures introduced during the current SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 outbreak lack all the principles of human rights-based public health measures, and in certain cases are not even connected to the…
To commemorate March 8, International Women's Day 2020, we interviewed three activists who have dedicated their work to women and HIV.
Svitlana Moroz is activly involved in several organisations in Estern Europe and Central Asia (EECA). Svitlana is also a former Steering Committee Member of AIDS Action Europe, in our interview she tells us about her activism in women and the HIV prevention…
To celebrate with you March 8, the International Women's Day 2020, we interviewed three activists, who are dedicated their work to women and HIV.
In the following, we took an interview with Anna Aryabinska, who works as strategy development coordinator at “Позитивные женщины“ (translated: Positive Women) in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Tell us a little about yourself: What's your name? Where do you live?…
To celebrate with you March 8, the International Women's Day 2020, we interviewed three activists, who are dedicated their work to women and HIV.
In the following we talked with Takhmina Khaydarova. Takhmina is the director of the NGO "Таджикистанская сеть женщин, живущих с ВИЧ" (translated: Tajikistan Network of Women Living with HIV - TNW Plus), based in Dushanbe.
Tell us a little about…
With this approach Positiiviset, HivFinland, organised a seminar in Helsinki in October 2019. The seminar was an official side event of Finland's Presidency of the Council of the EU, which Finland held from 1 July to 31 December 2019. Finland had two main themes as regards social and health policy: the economy of wellbeing and gender equality.
Positiiviset, HivFinland, wanted to take an…
AAE welcomes new Steering Committee Member Marios Atzemis, who works as a harm reduction officer at the Greek Association of People Living with HIV "Positive Voice".
Welcome Marios!
Marios has been a substance user for many years. In his social reintegration of the rehab unit “18Ano”, he actively participated in the activist group "Collective Actions of Social Solidarity" with his peers but…
Julia took the chance to share with us how she started in the HIV prevention field and how she became the director of EVA Association in Russia.
Welcome Julia!
"I started to work in the central part of Russia, in Orel, at Phoenix PLUS. I remember my first project in 2006, which focused only on women living with HIV. It was a very complex application, writing and coordinating it with partners…
In the end of 2019, USOP (Union of organisations of people living with HIV and AIDS in Serbia), an AAE member organisation, asked for our support to stop the disrespectful treatment of the remains of people with HIV in their country. USOP pointed out that people with HIV who passed away were buried without their clothes in black plastic bags.
In a letter (see below) to the Serbian Minister of…
52% of women from the EECA region experienced physical abuse after being diagnosed with HIV. These data were presented as part of a 2019 study of the issue of violence against women living with HIV in Eastern Europe and Central Asia by the Eurasian Women's Network on AIDS. Women usually find out about their status earlier, which increases their risks for violence in their immediate surrounding,…
Ferenc Bagyinszky, the Project Manager of AIDS Action Europe, participated as NGO Observer at the 45th meeting of the #UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board #PCB45, which took place on December 10-12 in Geneva.
We would like to call your attention to his intervention made under to the agenda point: Report by the NGO Representative "If it is to be truly universal. Why universal health coverage will…
On this World AIDS Day – themed “Communities make the difference” – AIDS Action Europe proudly announces its support to HIV 2020: Community Reclaiming the Global Response conference, taking place in Mexico City on July 5-7, 2020.
In 2018, after the announcement of the next International AIDS Society Conference taking place in San Francisco/Oakland in 2020, an alliance of global, regional and…
The European HIV Legal Forum (EHLF) is a project of AIDS Action Europe, the goal of which is to develop effective means of improving access to HIV services for all those who have limited access to HIV services due to legal obstacles, through the united efforts of legal and policy experts with the aim of bringing into effect a rights-based approach to health as adopted by the European Commission…
HIV Outcomes launched today a Call to Action urging European policymakers to ensure that long-term health outcomes and the quality of life of people with HIV are high on the political agenda. At a roundtable event in the European Parliament, Members of European Parliament, the European Commission, European experts, patients and clinicians discuss key findings from a new report, which highlights…
Are you involved in an HIV/AIDS related NGO or community group?
Is your organisation a member or partner of AIDS Action Europe?
Are you motivated to work towards a more effective response to the HIV, TB and viral hepatitis epidemics in Europe and Central Asia?
If so, apply now!
We currently have 3 vacancies in our Steering Committee for a 3-year term of 2020 – 2022, starting on 1. Jan 2020…
DNDi or Drugs for Neglected Disease Initiative celebrates its 15th birthday this year. This initiative is one of the unique examples of non-for-profit alternative models for research and development (R&D) of a new drugs. This initiative works to ensure that populations that are left behind will have access to live-saving medications.
Its story started in 2003 after Medicines Sans Frontiers (…
Criminalisation of HIV non-disclosure, exposure and transmission – one could think that this is not an issue anymore. The contrary is true: It is a growing phenomenon in our region that has direct and deep impact on human rights. This is why the AIDS Action Europe Steering Committee decided to take the topic up in its 2019 Member and Partner Meeting and combine it with partner notification and…
The 2nd European PrEP Summit took place in Warsaw, Poland from October 10-12. More than 200 activists, PrEP users, civil society, academia and doctors have gathered from all over Europe and Central Asia to discuss the current state, challenges and opportunities of PrEP use.
Although pre-exposure prophylaxis, or shortly PrEP, is a very effective method of preventing HIV infections, it´s uptake…
How are politics and life narratives in the fields of HIV/AIDS activism in Europe entangled? – This was not an easy leading question of the EUROPACH Closing Conference “Living Politics: Remembering HIV/AIDS Activism Tomorrow”. AAE, as associated partner of the European research project EUROPACH, participated at its closing conference, which took place in Berlin, Germany on September 12, and 13.…
AIDS Action Europe welcomes the decision of the UN Secretary General to appoint Winnie Byanyima as the new Executive Director of the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
We acknowledge the important milestone decision of appointing the first woman as the leader of UNAIDS, however, we are also concerned regarding the potential strategic priorities of Ms Byanyima and concerns…
As of September 1, 2019, people in Germany from the age of 16 with a substantial HIV risk can get PrEP (Pre-exposure prophylaxis) for free, covered by the statutory health insurance. This is an exciting development in a country, where only two years ago PrEP was still discussed quite controversially not to mention the possibility that PrEP could be covered by health insurance. It took the…
On July 11-12 AAE conducted its Quality Improvement (QI) Workshop on Combination Prevention and Chemsex Interventions. Altogether 13 representatives of 12 member and partner organisations were trained on how to select and use one or more of the tools to improve and measure quality and impact of their interventions and projects that were developed in the Quality Action Joint Action. The…
The training material toolbox curriculum for training Community Health Workers (CHW) working with gay men and other MSM was developed in the frame of the EU-funded ESTICOM project (www.esticom.eu). The project aimed at improving access and the quality of prevention, diagnosis of HIV/AIDS, STI and viral hepatitis and health care services for gay men and other MSM.
The Project became an important…
AIDS Action Europe participated at the Special Session of the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB), the governing body of UNAIDS, which usually meets twice a year to overlook the work of the UN Joint Programme on AIDS.The special session of the UNAIDS PCB was called together to follow up on the situation of sexual harassment and abuse of power within the UNAIDS Secretariat. Two agenda points…
AIDS Action Europe participated at the Special Session of the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB), the governing body of UNAIDS, which usually meets twice a year to overlook the work of the UN Joint Programme on AIDS.The special session of the UNAIDS PCB was called together to follow up on the situation of sexual harassment and abuse of power within the UNAIDS Secretariat. Two agenda points…
Ukraine has the second largest HIV epidemic in the WHO European region. The country also has a high prevalence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. The region of the armed conflict in the Eastern part of Ukraine (UA) lacks provision of health services. 240.000 people live with HIV (PLHIV) in UA, with an HIV prevalence of 0,9% (ages 15-49)[1]. The number of people who know their HIV status…
Yaroslav Bliakharskyi (Ярослав Бляхарский) about his time on the Steering Committee of AIDS Action Europe (AAE).
Yaroslav, our Steering Committee (SC) member, who represents All-Ukrainian network of people living with HIV/AIDS – 100% LIFE, is leaving our SC next year. In our interview with Yaroslav, he talks about his experience being an AAE Steering Committee member. Furthermore, he stresses…
