Yes, we are officially 18!
We were officially founded in August 2007 at the 8th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
In keeping with the vision of our late Founder and Chair, Shivananda Khan OBE, who sadly passed away in 2013 – we are proud to launch our new Strategic Plan, aptly named RELENTLESS.
“RELENTLESS reinforced the importance of human rights, stressed the need for making changes in laws and policies and advocated for bringing people together around social justice, including governments, the UN system, donors and civil society. APCOM continues to ensure that empowered communities are able to continue working towards social change – and we will be RELENTLESS,”
commented Midnight, APCOM Executive Director.
RELENTLESS had a physical launch in partnership with ILGA Asia, and supported by ViiV Healthcare at a Reception at the 10thILGA Asia conference in Kathmandu, Nepal attended by conference participants from the region with high profile speakers such as Graeme Reid, current United Nations Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (UN IE SOGI), Ambassador Chantale Wong, former United States Executive Director of the Asian Development Bank, Henry Koh, ILGA Asia Executive Director, and Aaditya Rai, Executive Director of Rainbow Disability Nepal, and APCOM HERO Awards recipient for Social Justice in 2024.
The development of RELENTLESS which spans 2025-2030 was generously supported by DFAT, GAC, OSF, Pride by Side, and ViiV Healthcare. As priorities for the coming years, APCOM will focus on four fundamental areas of work to create a better, healthy, and dignified everyday life for people of diverse SOGIESC in Asia and the Pacific:
- Advancing towards an inclusive and non-discriminatory rights framework, for social and economic inclusion, which encompasses working towards decriminalisation of same-sex acts in the entire region.
- Ending HIV as a public health threat by strengthening the HIV response and increasing the access to broader, related, health services and facilities.
- To do so, we will work to increase the available funding for the community and make sure that these resources will reach the grassroots community in the most effective and efficient way possible. At the same time, we will strengthen the capacities of community organisations to be ready and resilient for the work that needs to be done.
- We will explore and pilot modern technologies, ICT, and AI innovations in order to deliver information and services in more efficient and cost-effective ways, increasing the availability and access for communities throughout the region.
“APCOM continues to be a catalyst for change, strengthening community leadership and ensuring more inclusive HIV policies in Asia-Pacific. And affirm our commitment to not rest until equality and access are achieved for all.”
Oliel Sulaiman
Program Coordinator
GWL-INA, Indonesia
“I have witnessed APCOM’s unwavering commitment to equipping Community Partners with vital information, strategies and innovations. In these challenging times for the HIV Program, APCOM stands with us—and for that, we are deeply grateful.“
Ms. Aremm Castrillo
Project Officer -testMNL
HIV&AIDS Support House, Inc. (HASH), Philippines
“The partnership between GWL-INA and APCOM has been pivotal in the development and implementation of successful online campaigns targeting MSM in Jakarta. APCOM’s guidance and resources have enabled us to leverage digital platforms effectively, ensuring critical health information and services reach this key demographic.”
Deni Widodo
Media Officer
GWL-INA, Indonesia
“ACPOM has been providing community-based groups in the Asia-Pacific region with vital advice and direction in the areas of HIV, advocacy, and organization development, in addition to standing firmly on the community movement.“
Suman Nepal
Program Manager
Blue Diamond Society, Nepal
“CARMAH is proud to collaborate with APCOM, a leading force in expanding ICT innovations for HIV programs in Southeast Asia. The RELENTLESS strategic plan paves the way for greater digital transformation, ensuring more accessible and impactful community-led solutions.”
An Bao
Director
Center for Applied Research on Men and Community Health – CARMAH, Vietnam
“APCOM is a beacon of altruism, tenacity, inclusiveness, and a powerful inspiration to many. LEV8 Malaysia and myself are immensely proud to be your partner and friend.”
Benjamin Thain
Chief Empowerment Officer
LEV8 Malaysia
“APCOM continues to help strategise the good CLM Practices for the region on HIV implementation.”
Brenda Lombange
CLM PO – Lead
KPAC, PNG
We recognize the difficulties many of us are facing due to the effect of the new US foreign policy and the extreme uncertainty surrounding the health, rights, and wellbeing of our communities and movement going forward, and what we need now, and more than ever, is solidarity.
“APCOM is and will be RELENTLESS in the coming years. We will not stop until we achieve our goals, and we will not take “no” for an answer. We must persist in what we do and for what we fight. The community needs to know that they can count on us, in good times and in less good times and be a constant force for the community, now more than ever,”
remarked Midnight.
See our previous strategic plans
TENACITY
