ViiV HEALTHCARE’S POSITIVE ACTION EUROPE PROGRAMME AWARDS GRANTS TO 14 COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANISATIONS

London, Monday 12 June – Today, ViiV Healthcare announce that 14 patient advocacy organisations will receive funding as part of its Positive Action Europe Programme. After a thorough review of applications from across the region, the decision was made to award grants to 14 projects aimed to support people living with HIV in the community.

This year’s programme attracted a total number of 78 applications – an increase in the number of applications received in 2016. The chosen applications were submitted by patient advocacy organisations from the Czech Republic, Romania, Macedonia, Malta, Poland, Spain, Serbia, UK, Ireland, Austria, Italy, Sweden, Slovakia and Cyprus.

As a testament to the strong impact of Positive Action Europe in previous years, ViiV Healthcare increased funding for this year’s cycle. Since the start of the initiative in 2014, the programme has seen an increase of 150% in its overall funding with a total budget of GBP 250,000 available overall to the patient advocacy organisations .   

“I am extremely proud to be involved in the Positive Action Europe programme. I have now been part of the Steering Committee for the last two grant cycles and seen how the programme has grown year on year. I’ve seen the real difference the programme makes to the lives of people living with HIV. Positive Action helps facilitate long-term change by supporting community based interventions which address the key challenges, such as stigma and retention in care. By empowering the HIV community to engage key stakeholders, the programme contributes to a better quality of life for those impacted by HIV.” Damian Kelly, European AIDS Treatment Group.

“The Positive Action Programme is an immensely important initiative that supports organisations across Europe to promote testing and early diagnosis of HIV targeted at the key affected populations.” Anna Lawson, Director, Global Strategic Initiatives UNAIDS 90-90-90.

For more information on the 14 patient advocacy organisations who received a grant in 2017, click here.

HIV in the EU

The HIV epidemic in Europe varies greatly across countries, and populations. The Positive Action Europe programme seeks to fund community-based projects that reach those most affected by HIV, particularly marginalised or vulnerable populations. The programme uses a targeted approach to identify and respond to HIV-related issues at a local level, supporting projects that are specifically designed to tackle the drivers of HIV in local regions.

While Europe has made great strides in its response to the HIV epidemic, HIV in Europe remains a significant challenge to address:

• There has been only an insignificant decline in the rate of new diagnoses over the last decade, from 6.6 per 100 000 population in 2006 to 6.3 per 100 000 in 2015.1
• Men who have sex with men (MSM) account for 42% of all new HIV cases in Europe.1
• There is growing evidence that migrant sub-groups are at greater risk of acquiring HIV after arrival in Europe. 1
• Limited funding/budget has been meant that it is difficult to establish HIV prevention measures to reduce the number of new HIV infections.1