APCOM, in partnership with the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) under the grant from HIV Regional Capacity Building Programme of Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is implementing a programme to improve the lives of men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people in the Asia and Pacific region. Through this programme, several community-based organisations received technical support from APCOM and AFAO to spearhead the city-based projects that piloted small community-led responses to HIV and built the capacity of community organisations to engage in the HIV response at a city level.
As part of the scoping, a “City-Scape” consultation on the issues and barriers facing transgender people in accessing HIV and other services was carried out in June 2014 in two cities: Yangon (Myanmar) and Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam). The consultation, in retrospect, aims to:
- identify the unmet needs of transgender people regarding HIV, health, and human rights; share experiences of addressing stigma and discrimination against transgender people;
- mediate a dialogue between community members, policy makers, donors, UN agencies, NGOs and government officials;
- pinpoint opportunities and constraints to achieve quality services from public and private sector health care providers; and
- plan the next steps for transgender communities and other stakeholders.
Download the “City-Scape” report from each city below to learn further on the key discussion and recommendation of each consultation: