The
United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with
UNAIDS and the Global Fund, is supporting the second West and Central Africa
Key Populations (KP) workshop on the theme “Enhancing KP Interventions: Taking
Stock and Moving Forward”.
This 3-day workshop is organised by the USAID Regional HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care Project PACTE-VIH and hosted by the Government of Togo (Ministry of Health).
In West and Central Africa, the prevalence of HIV among the general population remains low, with 12 of 24 countries reporting a national HIV prevalence of less than 2 per cent.
However, the prevalence among key populations in the region is between 3 and 30 times higher than the general population.
Ending the HIV epidemic in West and Central Africa requires that programs and policies take an innovative and targeted approach that emphasizes access to services for those populations, and that best programmatic practices are shared, replicated and scaled.
“Establishing a strong coalition and appropriate strategies to confront programmatic challenges is necessary to advance the HIV response in West Africa and Central Africa,” said Peter H. Barlerin, the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Togo.
“We need to collaborate and promote cooperation on issues requiring collective actions to advance the fight against HIV in West and Central Africa. This workshop is therefore in response to key recommendations from the May 2014 regional KP meeting that called for the establishment of annual technical forums on KP in the region to share experiences and learn from others.”
The workshop, funded through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), takes place October 27-29, 2015, in Lomé, Togo.
PEPFAR is the U.S. Government initiative to help save the lives of those suffering from HIV/AIDS around the world.
More than 100 participants, including representatives from government and civil society groups from countries in the West and Central Africa region, regional institutions such as the West Africa Health Organization, donors, development partners and Key population groups will review the status of HIV activities targeting KPs, highlight promising practices to facilitate their scale-up in the region, and promote networking and collaboration among actors.
In addition, they will learn about new prevention technologies being implemented in other regions.
