The Advisory Board to the Emergency Support Fund for Key Populations Starts to Function

The Advisory Board to the Emergency Support Fund for Key Populations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) starts to function. The Fund will support Eastern European and Central Asian registered and non-registered NGOs and CBOs that represent key populations and that are surviving in difficult situations which they face due to legal barriers for key populations, stigma and discrimination, financial and social challenges and political restrictions. The activities of the Fund are implemented by AFEW International and AIDSFonds and financed by the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

The Advisory Board will ensure genuine connection to the situation in the EECA and give a guidance provision on the economic, political and epidemiological developments in the countries of the region. The Board advises the operational team of the Emergency Fund on strategic development of the Emergency Support Fund. The funding decisions will be made by the operational team.

The Advisory Board consists of eight members of the EECA region (see the table below) representing expertise in the programming and advocacy for all key populations: people living with HIV, people using drugs, young people, LGBTQ and MSM, and sex-workers.

The Advisory Board will meet once a year in person. Regular conference calls will take place every three months to revise the progress, exchange updates on the situations in the countries of EECA and adjust the Emergency Grant Fund conditions if necessary, as part of the learning process.

The first meeting of the Advisory Board will take place on 26 November 2018 in Amsterdam. During this meeting, the members of the Board will profoundly review the Emergency Fund documentation and call for proposals, eligibility criteria, evaluation process and criteria, and look at the set of relevant emergency situations. They will also share the latest updates from the EECA region and agree on one-year planning for the Board.