APCOM TO HIGHLIGHT ASIA PACIFIC AT AIDS 2018 CONFERENCE

We’re gearing up for a full schedule of activities at the world’s biggest global HIV conference AIDS 2018 which takes place next week in Amsterdam.

We’re producing, supporting or participating in a range of sessions, events and activities during the week-long conference and its associated pre-conference proceedings. A full schedule of APCOM’s activities is available at: apcomAIDS2018.org

APCOM Executive Director Midnight Poonkasetwattana said: “The AIDS 2018 conference provides APCOM and our partners with a valuable opportunity to highlight the issues affecting our communities in Asia and the Pacific as well as showcase the outstanding work being undertaken in our region by HIV, health and rights advocates.

“It is particularly important for us to continue raising the issues of community funding and sustainability in the region where so much innovation happens, and we want to ensure that investment into the community is sustained in the long run.

“We’re looking forward to connecting with activists, researchers, policymakers and other influencers of the global HIV response and achieving some meaningful outcomes that will further the interests of the people and communities we serve across Asia and the Pacific.”

Read more…

APCOM Updates

LGBT RIGHTS ADVOCATES ISSUE CALL TO ACTION FOR ASIA PACIFIC HUMANITARIAN SYSTEM

Delegates from last month’s groundbreaking conference in Bangkok on improving the inclusion of LGBTIQ people in the Asia Pacific response to conflicts and natural disasters have issued a call to action for the region’s humanitarian sector. The Pride In The Humanitarian System conference was co-presented by APCOM in partnership with a range of other community partners and international agencies, and the organizing coalition this week released the final call to action which was initially developed by selected delegates during the conference. The call to action contains a range of recommendations to address systemic challenges and integrate LGBTIQ issues and leadership in humanitarian mechanisms across the Asia Pacific region and beyond.

Read the Call To Action and watch the PITHS video

APCOM 2017 ANNUAL UPDATE RELEASED

We’re proud to release our 2017 Annual Update, detailing the contribution our activities throughout the year made towards improving the health and rights of the communities we serve across Asia and the Pacific. 2017 was a special year for APCOM as we marked 10 years of working with our communities throughout the region. Our report highlights some of the special events we undertook to commemorate this milestone as well as the broad range of activities we undertook to accelerate the impact of our mission. Read more…

testJKT UPDATES STATUS TO ‘IN (NEW CAMPAIGN) RELATIONSHIP’

This month APCOM’s Jakarta-based HIV testing education campaign testJKT became a media/campaign partner of the newly-launched social media campaign called #UpdateStatus. Playing on the popularity of updating your social media status, this campaign subtly introduces young gay men in Jakarta and across Indonesia to the need to update your health status through an HIV self-risk assessment. The campaign also links to online booking for gay-friendly HIV testing clinics. testJKT is part of in our testXXX programme, a collaboration with various HIV focused community organisations in Asian cities with high HIV prevalence to raise awareness about HIV testing, treatment and prevention among young gay men. Modelled on our testBKK initiative, our testXXX partners use social media, online advertising and event-based initiatives to promote information and content that’s appealing for young MSM.

Everyday Hero

Resma is a third gender daughter of an engineer father and a professor mother from the Bihar state of India and devotes her time and energy towards the betterment of transgender persons in and around Bihar. Though she is only in her 20s, her advocacy efforts with government departments, politicians, media, and other community associations has been inspirational.

Read more…..

Regional News

• Exploring the low uptake of HIV testing by MSM in Manila

• HRW: Indonesia's ‘Unlawful Action’ Contributes to Soaring HIV Rate

• Enough is enough, it's time to decriminalize homosexuality in the Pacific Islands

• Staggering rates of HIV among gay and bisexual men in India that no one is talking about

• It's time for people in privileged nations to help LGBTI people in Asia

Work at APCOM

To view any of these opportunities, please visit our Work With Us page on the APCOM website.

• Senior Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Officer
• Campaign Officer (Thai National only)
• Photographer Consultant
• Filmmaker/Videographer/Creative Agency for testBKK’s Upcoming Webseries.

Help Us Out

HIV is threatening to escalate significantly among gay men and other men who have sex with men across Asia and the Pacific. By 2020 this population is set to account for the majority of the 300,000 new transmissions which researchers expect to occur annually across the region. Finding the resources that can help address this situation takes a great deal of hard work, dedication, and persistence. Connecting with people and organisations which can provide this support is an important aspect of APCOM”s work (see lead story). Through raising awareness and advocating for investment, we’re making a real difference in lives of vulnerable people and communities across Asia and the Pacific. But we could do more. By making a donation from as little as US$10 a month, you can help us help others.

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