Skip to content
openDemocracy
Subscribe

Kyrgyzstan’s MPs put vital HIV funding at risk over ‘national traditions’

People living with HIV/AIDS said missing out on the $29m Global Fund grant would have “catastrophic consequences”

By Kamila Eshalieva
Kyrgyzstan’s MPs put vital HIV funding at risk over ‘national traditions’
A poster from the Kyrgyz AIDS Centre says "Against Stigma" | Kyrgyzstan AIDS Centre
Published:
Share

Kyrgyzstan could lose out on $29 million in international funding for HIV prevention and treatment after MPs scrapped a working group for going against "traditional values".

Kyrgyzstan’s cabinet of ministers approved the dissolution of the country’s coordinating committee to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria after coming under pressure from hardline MPs at the end of April.

The MPs denounced the committee’s distribution of condoms to men who have sex with men as part of the HIV programme, which is largely financed by the Global Fund - the world’s largest funder of prevention, treatment and care programmes for these diseases.

This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence. If you have any queries about republishing please contact us. Please check individual images for licensing details.

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0