Press statement: The Global Fund & Civil Society MENA Platform “Regional Learning & Sharing Forum 2018”

Marrakech, 13 December 2018

The Global Fund Civil Society Platform for Middle East and North Africa (MENA) held The “Regional Leaning and Sharing Forum” in Marrakech on 11 – 12 December 2018. The forum has been delivered by the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition – MENA region (ITPC-MENA), the current host of the regional platform. During the two-day meeting, over 30 Participants & delegates coming from different countries in the region reminded us of their commitment to put an end to HIV and Tuberculosis.

The meeting was an arena for activists to come together to share experiences and best practices. It also aimed at building their knowledge on how to ensure the sustainability of the response in a context of transition from the eligibility for the Global Fund against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM).

The meeting focused on delivering the available technical expertise on GFATM and transition, while making sure that needs and ideas of the civil society and key population groups are resonated and included along the GFATM processes. The meeting brought GFATM experts and technical assistance providers together with the civil society from the MENA region to explain and share more about their work in the region.

As a result, the country-based working groups, held during the meeting, have produced diverse technical assistance requests that are ready to be submitted to the GFATM Community, Rights and Gender Strategic Initative (CRG-SI). We hope that the platform managed to fulfil part of its mission to support civil society and key population groups to be more capable of engaging with the GFTAM processes.

We want to express our gratitude to see movements and allies who are constantly fighting to put key populations at the heart of the response so as to make those most vulnerable among us visible and a central point of the discussion.

That shall remind us how it is important to prepare for the global fund transition, and to not hesitate to request technical assistance when needed. We are doing our best to make the MENA platform a dynamic and available resource to all civil society and key population groups in the region.

We want to send our solidarity to the participants who couldn’t join us for visa/war issues. We will do our best as a platform to reach out to you, wherever you are, and provide you with the space you need, to get your voices heard. We would love to extend our thanks to our partners and experts from The 5% Initiative (Expertise France), Solidarité Sida, UNAIDS, HIV/AIDS Alliance, CRG-SI, STOP TB.

Therefore:

•  We must keep pushing for key populations to be more included in the HIV, tuberculosis and Malaria response.
•  HIV & Tuberculosis activists must enjoy the fundamental right to circulate, without limitations, not only in the MENA region, but also worldwide.
•  Community groups must have an active and meaningful participation and saying in the work we do in the region.