Dear SKPA-2 Colleagues,
The original period of performance for SKPA-2 was from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2025 which would have meant that we were due to wrap up this month. Fortunately, in late 2024, we received a no-cost extension which enables us to work until the end of December 2025. We are also in negotiation with the Global Fund about a program continuation for 2026 and 2027, albeit with a much smaller budget. Given the state of global funding for HIV, I am grateful that the work of SKPA-2 will continue at least (hopefully, we still need Global Fund approval) the next few years.
At the end of this month, we say goodbye to APCOM, one of our long-standing and valuable partners. APCOM has been a partner since the beginning of our Global Fund work, and they will always be a close ally and friend of Health Equity Matters. I would like to personally thank Midnight and the whole team at APCOM for their hard work, passion, and dedication. I am sure that our organizational paths will cross and connect again. And again. So, this is not good-bye. Now more than ever friendships and alliances with like-minded organizations are needed because it is incumbent on us all to mobilize to secure HIV funding for key populations in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Global Fund has requested that we pause several activities (that had not commenced) until further guidance. Fortunately, because we are almost at the end of program cycle, most of our activities have commenced. From now until the end of December 2025 we intend to keep our activities moving forward with energy whilst we adapt to a changing funding environment. We are proposing to work with you to document success stories to celebrate our achievements and to demonstrate that our work matters. We have also been recently informed that the budget for the program continuation (2026 to 207) will need to be reduced by 8%. We shall work closely with the partners included in the program continuation to adjust.
As always, your cooperation and support are appreciated.
Best wishes,
Felicity
Published on: 01-Jul-2025
