ECOM Provides Support for Ukrainian LGBT Movement and MSM Service Conference

Prior to the event, the regional pre-conference took place with the involvement of representatives of MSM service provision organizations and the LGBT movement in order to establish cooperation and share experiences between activists from different EECA countries. The pre-conference was organized by the East Europe & Central Asia Union of People Living with HIV (ECUO) and by ECOM.

LGBT activists from different regions of Ukraine and other EECA countries, experts on LGBT and MSM issues, employees of MSM-targeted HIV service projects, and human rights advocates participated in the conference. The event welcomed more than 100 participants from 12 countries: Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Tajikistan, Moldova, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Armenia.

One of the conference sessions was devoted to certain regional issues and was chaired by the ECUO and the ECOM. The session focused on the barriers preventing MSM from accessing the HIV continuum of care in EECA with examples from the Baltics, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan.

In addition, the UNDP and UNFPA, with the involvement of ECOM, hosted a satellite event. The event was devoted to the implementation and use of the MSMIT (Men who have Sex with Men Implementation Tool).

The conference was organized by several LGBT and HIV service organizations of Ukraine along with international partners. ECOM acted as one of the event donors.

Capture: Vitaly Djuma welcomes participants.

This material was prepared by ECOM in conjunction with the implementation of the EECA Regional Platform project, as part of the EECA Consortium.