Latest News

The Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health (APCOM) is a regional coalition of MSM and HIV community-based organisations, the government sector, donors, technical experts and the UN system. The main purpose is advocating for political support and increases in investment and coverage of HIV services in Asia Pacific. APCOM promotes principles of good practice and lessons learnt by bringing together representatives from diverse groups in an effort to share experience, knowledge and expertise.
more...

Defining "MSM"

“Men who have sex with men” (MSM) is an inclusive public health term used to define the sexual behaviours of males having sex with other males, regardless of gender identity, motivation for engaging in sex or identification with any or no particular ‘community’. The words 'man' and 'sex' are interpreted differently in diverse cultures and societies as well as by the individuals involved. As a result, the term MSM covers a large variety of settings and contexts in which male to male sex takes place.

The Goals of APCOM

Increased investment: from governments, donors and civil society groups and communities in appropriate research and effective interventions for HIV prevention, treatment, care and support for men who have sex with men and transgenders in the Asia Pacific region.

Scaled up programmatic, geographic and comprehensive coverage: of HIV prevention, treatment, care and support interventions for men who have sex with men and transgenders in the Asia Pacific.

Strengthen the evidence-base for advocacy, policy development, programming and reducing societal, legal, and institutional obstacles for the above.

Group of Asia Pacific MSM in Toronto 2006

Peer education workshop in sauna in China

Advocacy in Action

APCOM announces the MSM, TG and HIV forum pre-9th ICAAP

Save the date of Saturday, 8th August - all day

The 200 Forum - From 200 to 0: Responding effectively to HIV among MSM in Asia and the Pacific

Every 7.5 minutes in Asia, a man who has unsafe sex with men gets infected with HIV. That's almost 200 new MSM HIV cases each day.* The Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health (APCOM) aims to squarely focus the spotlight on this issue at the upcoming 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia Pacific (9th ICAAP). APCOM, in formal partnership with the Local Organising Committee of ICAAP, will host a range of key activities before and during the Congress, starting with the full-day pre-Congress community forum meeting, The 200 Forum.

The 200 Forum will take place at the Mercure Sanur in Bali on 8 August. Space is limited and attendance requires advance application for registration. Email contact is 200forum@msmasia.org.

Watch this website for more announcements related to APCOM at 9th ICAAP. ICAAP officially runs from 9 - 13 August 2009 in Bali, Indonesia.

* See Figure 2.16 in “Redefining AIDS in Asia - Crafting an Effective Response”. Commission on AIDS in Asia. Oxford University Press, New Delhi, India (2008); p 57

Health sector response to HIV/AIDS among MSM

Report of the consultation [From the Executive Summary]

In many areas of the Western Pacific Region, the number of HIV cases among MSM has tripled in the past few years. HIV prevalence has reached 2–10% in cities in more than 10 countries, and over 10% in a few. Several promising interventions are under way in the Region, but most are limited in scale. Development and implementation of a response have been impeded by insufficient political commitment, highly prohibitory legal and social environments, limited capacity of implementing partners and service providers, and insufficient resources.

In response to the recommendation of a global consultation on “Prevention and treatment of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections among men who have sex with men and transgender populations” held in Geneva in September 2008, and the requests for action expressed by Member States, the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WHO WPRO) took the lead in organizing the first regional consultation on “Health sector response to HIV/AIDS among men who have sex with men” in Hong Kong (China) from 18 to 20 February 2009. The aim of the consultation was to discuss ways of scaling up the health sector response to the emerging HIV epidemic among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender persons (TG) in the Western Pacific Region. The specific objectives were related to the use of strategic information, role of advocacy and promotion of a single comprehensive package of services for MSM and TG.

Access the full document by clicking here or on the picture of the Meeting Report (right).

Picture of meeting report and link to report itself

Click image for the full report

Picture and clickable link to Resarch Report

Click above to see the full report (PDF)

Global Consultation on MSM and HIV/AIDS Research

Report from the MSM Initiative of the Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR)

In an effort to examine current understanding of HIV/AIDS among men who have sex with men (MSM), identify gaps in knowledge, and develop a roadmap for future research, amfAR brought together more than 40 experts from around the world to Washington, D.C., on September 28-29, 2008, for a global research consultation on HIV/AIDS and MSM. Participants represented a range of disciplines, including epidemiology, biomedicine, social and behavioral science, and human rights.

amfAR has published a report of the proceedings, which includes an overview of the discussions as well as recommended steps for moving forward to gain a better understanding of how best to address the needs of MSM around the world.

A copy of the report (in PDF format) is available by clicking here.

Direct link to story: http://amfar.org/msmresearch/

From the Governing Board

Evidence of the increasing HIV burden that MSM are carrying is finally coming to light, and is now beginning to influence policy making. At last, some governments, donors, and the UN system are taking leadership in scaling up effective responses. A window of opportunity exists in the region right now, and APCOM intends to make a concerted effort to ensure MSM are included in the drive for universal access.

Shivananda is the APCOM Chairperson and Chief Executive of Naz Foundation International and works from their Regional Office in Lucknow, India.

Due to language barriers, many Chinese groups cannot access international support. APCOM provides a platform to share experiences with others and keeps the Chinese MSM community up to date on issues. APCOM also can help reach out to the Chinese government, providing a good mechanism to aid decision making. My burden is heavy, I know, to work behalf of Chinese MSM as it is such a huge population but APCOM will help me to be successful in playing this important bridging role.

Zhen Li is the APCOM Community Representitive for China, co-founder of Beijing Gender Health Education Institute (BGGEI) and is now coordinator of the Civil Society Program of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in China.

We, at Hivos, believe in the power of organisations like APCOM, in which a broad coalition works together to improve the situation of MSM and TG in Asia Pacific. We believe that the work APCOM is doing can bring the change that is needed and are proud to support and be part of this important and exciting process.

Paul is the Programme Officer for LGBT Rights and MSM-HIV for Hivos, an APCOM donor partner, and serves as a Donor Sector Representitive on the Board.