The SHIFT Knowledge Management Hub –  which contains a range of reports, case studies, videos and infographics –  was launched today and is the latest offering from the SHIFT (Sustainable HIV Financing In Transition) Programme, an advocacy and capacity strengthening project for HIV advocates in Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines and Thailand. The URL is: www.shiftHIVfinancing.org

The SHIFT Knowledge Management Hub includes videos which explain the importance of advocating for communities at high risk of HIV, case studies that discuss good advocacy practices for seeking additional funding or improving funding efficiencies, as well as summaries of the national HIV funding situation in the four SHIFT Programme countries. New content will be added over the next nine months.

The project is being delivered through a partnership of Asia Pacific HIV community networks including APCOM, APCASO and the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO). The project is being funded by the Global Fund to Fight HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The project’s country partners are the Thai National AIDS Foundation, Action for Health Initiatives Inc. (Philippines), the Indonesian AIDS Coalition and the Malaysian AIDS Council.

The communities most affected by HIV in Asia – men who have sex with men, transgender people, sex workers and people who use drugs – are set to account for most of the 300,000 new HIV transmissions which researchers predict will occur annually in Asia by 2020.

Research undertaken by the SHIFT programme shows that right now about 85% of HIV programmes targeting these communities are funded by international donors, with national governments only investing minimal amounts or nothing at all. However, as countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand become more economically developed, they’re getting less international aid. This creates a funding gap for HIV programmes, and if national governments don’t bridge the gap then the effectiveness of the region’s HIV response could be in jeopardy.

AFAO’s SHIFT Programme Manager Joselyn Pang: “To help ensure that HIV programmes for key populations in these countries are sustained, local HIV advocates are being supported through the SHIFT programme to increase their understanding of HIV financing and to improve how they lobby their respective national governments to increase HIV funding for vulnerable communities. It’s an exciting new initiative for the Asian HIV response and we’re looking forward to working with all our community partners to deliver better outcomes for people and communities in need.”

APCOM Executive Director Midnight Poonkasetwattana: “After consulting with our community partners and conducting extensive research, we’ve developed some extremely useful resources which are now available at the SHIFT Knowledge Management Hub (www.shiftHIVfinancing.org). We’ve produced several detailed reports and case studies about HIV financing and situational analysis in Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines and Thailand. We’ve also produced some simple and concise infographics and videos which can be used to help increase awareness and understanding of the issues.”

Malaysian AIDS Council SHIFT Programme Manager Anu Karunanithy: “Knowledge is power, and by educating local HIV advocates around issues of sustainability, the SHIFT programme is empowering people and community organisations like the Malaysian AIDS Council to become more knowledgeable, shifting the conversation in relation to HIV financing. This will ultimately work towards better advocacy for the health needs of people affected by HIV not just in Malaysia, but across Asia and the Pacific.”

To find out more about the SHIFT programme and the SHIFT Knowledge Management Hub, please visit: www.shiftHIVfinancing.org