Strengthening regional key populations-led responses to EECA challenges caused by the Russian war against Ukraine.

About project

Regional networks of key populations in EECA, such as ECOM, EHRA and SWAN, have been leaders of the humanitarian and human rights response to the war in Ukraine from the very beginning. Without a plan of action for emergency situations, the organizations were forced to reallocate all existing program resources to provide adequate support to gay men, other MSM and trans communities, people who use drugs, and sex workers in Ukraine and abroad. This happened at the expense of the current human resources of the organizations and their members, which significantly affected both the changing conditions, and their ability to effectively continue working in the EECA region as a whole and ensure long-term sustainability. The project is an integral part of ECOM, EHRA and SWAN’s strategies to support war-affected key populations in Ukraine, with the overall goal of ensuring the sustainability of HIV programs for key populations in EECA countries. Thus, we continue to make efforts to a) collect strategic information among key populations related to HIV services and human rights in Ukraine; b) strengthen the capacity of community-led regional networks; and c) use an evidence-based approach to advocate for equitable access to health services for key populations.  

The coordinated efforts of the project contribute to a long-term increase in the level of support for advocacy and the involvement of Ukrainian community activists from the target audiences. In this way, the project contributes to the improvement of policies and practices related to the protection and working conditions of human rights defenders, which ensures the sustainability of the results of the project.