Beyond the Hype: Setting Up Social Contracting to Sustain Key Population Programs

(SKPA-2 Transition, Co-Financing and Sustainability of HIV Services Forum)

Date:

September 5, 2023

Time:

2:00 – 3:30pm

Bangkok Time

Location:

Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20

(19/9 Sukhumvit 20 Alley, Khlong Tan, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110)
with online participation option

Moderator:

Huiling Pan

Health Equity Matters

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Throughout the HIV pandemic, civil society organizations (CSOs) and in particular key population-led organizations often have been first responders in disease control efforts. As the epidemic evolves and external donor assistance for HIV declines, countries need to transition to a more targeted HIV response focusing on key populations. This means that countries will need to increasingly mobilize greater domestic resources to finance their HIV response. One policy reform aimed at maintaining the critical role of civil society in these efforts is the development of government-led mechanisms to finance civil society through formalized contractual channels. Such partnerships between governments and civil society are widely referred to as “social contracting mechanisms.” Experimentation of social contracting in the HIV response in Asia is beginning to show that the reform process is often windy and social contracting by itself is not a silver bullet for the financial sustainability problem. SKPA-2 organizes this regional forum to dive into the realities of setting up social contracting as a financial sustainability mechanism for key population HIV programs. First, the forum will reflect on the experience of social contracting for key population HIV programs in Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines to advise new countries in pursuit of social contracting reform. Second, the forum explores a broader set of tried strategies across communities, governments, donors, and development partners in Asia to identify innovations and tools to catalyse the uptake of social contracting in the region. By engaging in these discussions, the forum aims to inspire ideas and actions for the scale-up of social contracting as a financial sustainability mechanism for community-led HIV responses.

Organizations and individuals who are interested in the issues of transition, co-financing and sustainability of HIV services, including key population communities, civil society organisations, donor agencies, government representatives, and other stakeholders. The forum is not exclusive to SKPA-2 countries or stakeholders currently working on social contracting. Prospective participants from all levels, especially those who are based in the Asia Pacific region, are encouraged to join.

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