APCOM’s Executive Director Midnight Poonkasetwattana will be representing APCOM and many other Asia-Pacific community advocates in numerous activities in the 21st International AIDS Conference in Durban, South Africa. Midnight, who has been leading APCOM since 2011, has recently made to the prestigious list of 16 HIV Advocates to Watch in 2016. At the recent 2016 UN High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS, Midnight delivered a powerful closing statement highlighting how key populations were left behind in the adopted political declaration.
Chris Beyrer, the current president of the International AIDS Society, has great confidence that Midnight will be a force for change in 2016 due to APCOM’smany pioneering community-led advocacy in combatting the epidemic in Asia-Pacific region. “Midnight is a dynamic emerging leader,” says Chris. “He’s out loud and proud, and a great voice for our global community.”
You can catch Midnight in action during AIDS 2016 through the following sessions:
The Closing of
the MSM Pre-Conference
Sat, July 16, Session Room 10, 5:30PM
Hosted by MSMFG, Midnight will be on the closing panel of the MSM Pre-Conference,Getting the math right: Counting gay and bisexual men into the 90-90-90 equation, and will highlight the rights and demands of gay and bisexual men in the HIV response drawn from his recent UN High-Level Meeting statement.
PrEP Implementation
(Invitation Only)
Sun, July 17, Hotel Elengeni, 3PM – 4PM
Hosted by WHO as their AIDS2016 Pre-Meeting, Midnight will be presenting Thailand-based country example on increasing PrEP awareness and creating appropriate demand, along with other PrEP advocates from different countries.
Global Village Opening Ceremony
Sun, July 17, Main Stage, 6PM
Along with other international guest speakers, Midnight will be delivering an opening speech for the AIDS 2016 delegates, prior to exciting performances showcasing the best of South African entertainment, in a convivial and welcoming atmosphere which will give a hint of what can be expected from the AIDS 2016 Global Village programme.
Access, Equity & Rights:
The crucial role of civil society and communities in the global AIDS response
(Invitation Only)
Co-hosted by UNDP and IAS, Midnight will be representing the voice of Asia-Pacific community in a breakfast dialogue with the United Nations Secretary General (UNSG) Ban Ki-moon and notable UNSG’s Special Envoys for AIDS from different regions on exchanging views on how to strengthen support for civil society and community engagement in the AIDS response.
Positive Action for MSM and Trans-specific Programmes
Mon, July 18, Positive Action Networking Zone, Noon – 2PM
Hosted by ViiV Healthcare, Midnight and experienced advocates from Elton John AIDS Foundation, MTV Staying Alive, and “Empowered Trans” of the Kaiser Family Foundation will join forces as a discussion panel highlighting the issues faced by MSM and trans people and how the community advocates are responding from Positive Action and the partners.
Ensuring Effective Financing Transitions in Asia
Mon, July 18, UNAIDS Community Dialogue Space, 4PM – 5PM
With APCOM being a regional sub-recipient of the upcoming AFAO-led Sustainable HIVFinancing in Transition (SHIFT), Midnight will be co-chairing the session with an expert panel from APCASO, GFATM, UNAIDS, and World Bank highlighting the issues around ensuring continued domestic funding and political support for HIV epidemics among key populations in countries moving into middle income status.
Advancing PrEP Advocacy Opportunities and Challenges in Settings Where It has been Approved and where It has Not
Wed, July 20, Research Literacy Zone
2PM – 3PM
In an effort to translate PrEP research into an actionable response, Midnight will be showcasing the follow ups from PrEParing Asia, Asia’s first and biggest community-led dialogue on the roll out of PrEP in the region that’s organised by APCOM in September 2015.
Chat with Midnight
Join Midnight and many other MSM advocates in AIDS 2016 twitter discussion by using hashtags #StepUP4MSM and #AIDS2016 and/or send your tweet to @APCOM
Visit APCOM’s Booth
At Global Village’s NGO Booth #504. Get to know APCOM’s latest publications and upcoming activities.
