Community Voices: Review of Draft National HIV/STD Strategic Plan 2022-2030 by Key Population CSO Representatives

SKPA 2 over the last year has engaged with the HIV/STD National Strategic Plan (NSP) to ensure community involvement at every step of the process. This engagement continues with a series of events that ensured community voices remained at the centre of planning and policy. The NSP is viewed as a key document that guides the HIV response in Sri Lanka and as such, is a significant part of the national response. On the 21st of March, SKPA-2, together with over 25 community and civil society representatives, led a meeting to review the draft of the National HIV/STI Strategic Plan (NSP) for 2022-2030. The meeting provided space for key population representatives and civil society representatives to engage with the draft document and offer feedback with a specific focus on the key population's needs. The daylong event facilitated engagement with the NSP and resulted in the documentation of feedback for the NSP drafting committee. The Diversity and Solidarity Trust together with the Community Development Foundation played a key role in the process of reviewing and documenting on behalf of the community representatives.


Community Recommendations Presentation for the National HIV/STD Strategic Plan 2022-2030

On 23rd March, communities and civil society presented the outcomes of the community review of the draft of the National HIV/STI Strategic Plan (NSP) 2022-2030 to the National STD/AIDS Control Programme and other stakeholders of the national HIV Response. SKPA-2 led the review process with the support of the communities and civil society. During the presentation, participants emphasized the need to prioritize key populations, expand prevention interventions such as PrEP and HIVST, strengthen prevention communication, establish community-led clinics, invest in community systems strengthening, address criminalizing laws, and involve KP-led, civil society and community-based organizations as equal partners in implementing interventions.

Activity Planning Workshop for National HIV/STD Strategic Plan 2022-2030

On 28th March, SKPA-2, together with the National HIV/STD Control Programme and the Diversity and Solidarity Trust, cofacilitated an Activity Planning Workshop as part of the NSP. During this session, participants worked on the various strategic directions, namely, Prevention, Diagnosis, Treatment and Care (DTC), Strategic Information Management (SIM), Health System Strengthening (HSS) and Supportive Environment and worked alongside colleagues from The National STD/AIDS Control Programme (NSACP) to develop activities that would lead to the costed action plan. Each group included at least one medical consultant and representatives of various institutions, such as the NSACP, Local Funding Agent, FPA Sri Lanka and key population CSOs. Each group worked on their strategic direction and presented their findings to the forum. Questions and suggestions from the audience followed each presentation.