Why Ukrainian key communities unite in one platform

CC Scott Robinson

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Why Ukrainian key communities unite in one platform

17 April 2019

By AFEW

In many countries, different key populations unite. They do it for the better representation of their interests in the development of public policy. This is often the alliance within one community, and less frequently – of several communities.

Four key populations in Ukraine – ex-prisoners, LGBT, people who use drugs (PUDs), sex workers (SW) – have their own self-organizations, being at different stages of development. There are communities with great experience in advocacy and work with international donors, but there are those that are at the initial stage of development. They grow stronger with the support from more experienced activists.

“Despite growing importance of the community voice in decision-making processes related to access to health and social services, very often representatives of HIV-service organisations speak on behalf of key populations rather than community representatives. Having the voices of community directly heard leads to a situation where the actual needs of key communities are much better taken into account in programs planning and implementation”, says Olena Voskresenska, executive director of ICF “AIDS Foundation East-West” (AFEW-Ukraine).