The Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka (FPA Sri Lanka) is the Sub Recipient for the Multi Country South Asia (MSA) Global Fund project on HIV implemented by Save the Children international in Nepal. The Multi-Country South Asia Global Fund HIV Programme operates in seven countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The programme is supported by a grant from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The overall goal of the programme is to reduce the impact of, and vulnerability to HIV of men who have sex with men (MSM), hijras and transgender (TG) people.

The programme promotes and protects the rights of key populations of MSM and TG, and builds a foundation to ensure that country-level community networks continue to be an essential partner in the HIV response. It focuses on strengthening Health & community systems and bring in better legal & policy environments to improve coordination with local governments and healthcare providers and offers technical assistance to ensure high intervention impact and sustainability.

To achieve these objectives a Technical Hub on HIV, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identities and Human Rights was established, using experts from diverse backgrounds. They have undertaken to provide health and social support to the MSM and TG people and to strengthen advocacy efforts to bring in positive changes to legal & policy framework and programmes

The Hub members attended a workshop form the 16^th- 18^th of June at the Kingsbury Hotel, titled “ Workshop for Experts on Laws, Policies, Systems & Services to reduce the impact of HIV in Sri Lanka”.

Some of the topics of discussion were:

• Gender Identity and the situation of transgender persons in Sri Lanka - Dr. KapilaRanasinghe, Consultant Psychiatrist, National Institute of Mental Health
• HIV Epidemiology- HIV prevention, treatment and care - Dr. AjithKarawita, Consultant Venereologist, Teaching Hospital Anuradhapu
• Empowerment of MSM and TG communities to take the leadership in HIV prevention - Denver Peterson, Individual LGBT Activist/ Creative Writer
• Criminalization of HIV and Key Populations, judicial response and assessment of key judgments - Honorable Justice Shiranee Thilakawardena, Retired Judge, Supreme Court of Sri Lanka
• The contribution of Global Fund for the national HIV response - Mr. Asitha Punchihewa, Project Manager, New Funding Model – Global Fund National Grant
• Overview on human rights - Ms. Kumuduni Samuels, Senior Research Officer, Women & Media Collective
• National Human Rights Action Plan and actions taken by Human Rights Commission - Ms. Ambika Sathkunanathan, Human Rights Commissioner, National Human Rights Commission
• National Strategic Plan of National STD/AIDS Control Programme from 2013-2017) - Dr. Sisira Liyanage, Director, National STD/AIDS Control Programme
• Overview of regional and international policy initiatives on HIV prevention - Mr. Ajith Rohana, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Sri Lanka Police Department

The programme ended with Ms. Madu Dissanayake, (Director – Public Affairs, Policy & Advocacy, FPA Sri Lanka) delivering an update on upcoming activities. Thereafter the Technical Hub members had an interactive discussion with Community Role Models. A contract was signed with FPA Sri Lanka, ending December 2017, which will entail Technical Hub members to provide expertise and knowledge in their respective fields to TG and MSM population and be mentors where necessary and to be a resource person for meetings and workshops conducted under the GF-MSA project during the said period.