Greater Mekong

The Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) is comprised of countries bordering or surrounding the Mekong River. Since 2006, the Purple Sky Network (PSN) has coordinated a regional network of organisations involved in the work of HIV and MSM. PSN’s Secretariat is currently based at TREAT Asia, a program of the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmfAR). Some of the highest known prevalence numbers among MSM are found in the GMS. It was announced in late 2007, for instance, that the HIV prevalence rate among MSM in Bangkok, Thailand was nearly 31%.

There are MSM HIV Working Groups in each of the six countries in this region, coordinated by PSN. Four of the countries include MSM in their national AIDS plan and two have HIV and MSM national strategic plans. The Purple Sky Network is the APCOM focal point for the GMS. While the two southern provinces of Yunnan and Guangxi in China also border the Mekong River and are represented in the Purple Sky Network, for APCOM purposes they are included in the China Sub-region rather than the Greater Mekong Sub-region.

The Greater Mekong includes:

• Cambodia
• Laos
• Myanmar
• Thailand
• Vietnam

Each country has its own MSM Working Group, which is coordinated by the Purple Sky Network.

APCOM Members

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