During the COVID-19 crisis, activists and community organizations from across eastern Europe and central Asia are continuing to provide vital HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services.
To map that support, an interactive platform, the Community Initiates Map, has been launched. The website shows how communities are supporting people living with HIV and saving lives during the COVID-19 outbreak in the region, with stories about the services that community organizations are providing. People can learn from the examples of the services developed for key populations and people living with HIV and the impact that they are having on the HIV epidemic and on people’s lives. The map is constantly being updated and people can share their stories on the site.
Vera Brezhneva, UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, thanked activists for their commitment during the COVID-19 outbreak. “Thank you to every one of you, from all of us. It is in our power to remember and take action. I am with you!” she said.
The experience in eastern Europe and central Asia in the fight against COVID-19 shows that investments made in civil society are good investments. “Communities and nongovernmental organizations have not only come to the forefront of the fight against the new threat, but also in collaboration with medical practitioners and governments continue to provide HIV and tuberculosis services,” said Andrei Klepikov, Executive Director of the Alliance for Public Health.
Nurali Amanzholov, the President of the Central Asian Association of People Living with HIV, said that the coronavirus outbreak and lockdowns had resulted in some people having difficulties in accessing antiretroviral therapy and opioid substitution therapy, and that many people had lost their incomes. “But this situation is also an exam, a test of the strength of our community. And our strength was always in solidarity, the ability to assert our rights, to seek the right solution together,” he said.
Lyubov Vorontsova, of the Central Asian Association of People Living with HIV, said that women living with HIV, especially those in key populations, faced increased gender-based violence and limited access to protection and social services owing to the closure of crisis centres. “We must keep our unity now, so that after the end of the state of emergency, the needs of women remain a priority for the state and civil society,” she said.
“The nearly 40 years of experience in the response to HIV shows that civil society organizations, including communities of people living with HIV, play a crucial role. Today, it is clear that the role of community organizations in emergencies is vital. Countries in the region must recognize those organizations as partners and providers of services for the responses to both HIV and COVID-19,” said Alexander Goliusov, Director, a.i., UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
The website was developed by the Alliance for Public Health and the Central Asian Association of People Living with HIV and supported by the UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
