#EECAAIDS2018

It has been a year since the project Fast-track HIV/TB responses among key populations in cities of Eastern Europe and Central Asia (HIV/TB CITIES) has been operating in Almaty, Balti, Odesa, Sofia, and Tbilisi. Different countries, contexts, mentalities and different… results. Roman Dudnik, Executive Director of the Public Foundation AIDS Foundation East-West in Kazakhstan is telling about the project implementation in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

In the joint survey conducted in 2015 by the National Centre for Disease Control and Public Health, 32% of men and 2.9% of women in Georgia reported having used marijuana. The issue of cannabis decriminalisation and legalisation was first raised five years ago, but then the initiator of this idea – civil movement “The 2nd of June” – failed to get support even from the community of people who use drugs because they demanded to decriminalise not all the drugs, but only cannabis.

Over 250 thousand HIV tests will be done in Kyiv allowing to cover 10% of the employable population of the Ukrainian capital. Nikolay Povoroznik, the Deputy Head of Kyiv City State Administration, informed UNIAN Information Agency that in order to reach these numbers, city authorities will additionally procure 140 thousand express tests. HIV testing is the first step towards overcoming the epidemic because information about one’s positive status allows the timely start of treatment for the patient.

Amsterdam Youth Force, Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) and AFEW International invite applicants from Eastern Europe and Central Asia region (EECA) to submit drafts abstracts for XXII International AIDS Conference 2018 in Amsterdam (AIDS2018) to board panel of experts for review. The deadline is extended until 25th January 2018.

This year, the issue of treatment coverage for people living with HIV has been broadly discussed in Russia on World AIDS Day. We are talking on this topic with Vinay Patrick Saldanha, Director, Regional Support Team for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, UNAIDS.

In October this year, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Tajikistan published the list of members of LGBTI groups in the departmental magazine. In the register, there are 319 gays and 78 lesbians. “They have all been identified in the course of operations implemented by the national law enforcement department codenamed “Morality” and “Purge.” The fact that they belong to LGBTI groups has been proved and they have been entered into the police register,” informs the magazine.