Global Fund Adopts Strategy on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

At its May 2009 meeting in Geneva, the board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria adopted a strategy to increase support for programs that address the needs of sexual minorities, transgender people, and sex workers.

The Global Fund Strategy on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity recognizes that these vulnerable populations face barriers that prevent them from accessing or benefiting from Global Fund grants. Because they are often marginalized in society, they have limited access to decision-making bodies of the Global Fund. Yet the need for HIV prevention, care, and treatment for these groups is great: men who have sex with men, transgender persons, and sex workers are at greater risk of HIV infection in every part of the world.

Furthermore, criminalization of people due to their sexual orientation prevents them from accessing health services, and puts them at greater risk for all three diseases: AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.

This strategy outlines concrete actions the Global Fund can take to address the vulnerabilities and needs of sexual minorities in the fight against the three diseases.

OSI’s Public Health Program and partners worked closely with the Global Fund to develop the strategy. OSI is currently supporting nongovernmental organizations to develop regional proposals to the Global Fund that focus on HIV and sexual minorities.   

The strategy is available at www.theglobalfund.org/en/publications/other/.