The Rectal Microbicides Research Agenda: A Civil Society Update and Consultation Cape Town, South Africa – 7 October 2011Jim Pickett – IRMA, AIDS Foundation of ChicagoBrian Kanyemba – Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation

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The Long and Winding Rectal Road… Global Advocacy to Take Us Where We Want To Go

Today

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• Who is IRMA?• What does IRMA do?• South African advocacy• What is Project ARM?– Goals, objectives– ICASA 2011 satellite

• How can you get involved?

Who is IRMA?

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Mission: support development of safe, effective,

acceptable, and accessible

rectal microbicides for all who need them

AFC secretariat

1100+ advocates, scientists, funders, policymakers from

6 continents – IRMA-ALC and IRMA Nigeria

chapters

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Born 2005

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Highly active moderated

listserv

Website• Tons of resources

Blog, Facebook,

Twitter

Global teleconferences• Recorded, materials posted

Materials• Fact sheets,

reports

Report includes:

Updated resource

tracking & funding

projections

Overview IRMA

activities

Updated Research snapshot

Advocacy goals

Global context

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rectalmicrobicides.org

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Survey now available in English, Spanish, French, Russian and Chinese. Portuguese, Thai and German are coming.

TAKE IT. PASS THE LINK ALONG!

rectalmicrobicides.org

South African Rectal Advocacy

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Get involved in rectal microbicide research and advocacy in South Africa

• Join IRMA (sign up for list)• Add RMs to your

presentations• Show some Rectal

Pride – wear your stickers!• Hand out palm cards• Hand out fact sheets

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Ways to get involved in rectal microbicide research and advocacy in South Africa

• Talk about anal sex!• Join the MTN 017 trial• Get the word out on

MTN 017• Join Project ARM

activities and ensure Africa is on the rectal map

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What’s this all about?

• Long-term, sustained project of IRMA to develop community capacity around rectal microbicide advocacy– ensure broad participation in guiding research activities – ensure well-informed community input into development of

African rectal microbicide research and implementation agenda.

• Project ARM born from series of community consultations with African advocates and allies at Microbicides 2010 , AIDS 2010 and through IRMA listserv

• First-year funding provided by National Institutes of Health/Office of AIDS Research, New Venture Fund

• AVAC an organizing partner 12

• Project ARM’s activities will lead to expanded African rectal microbicide education and advocacy.

• Project ARM’s activities will support the planning and implementation of rectal microbicide clinical trials in Africa in an environment that is as safe as possible for participants.

• Project ARM’s activities will support the eventual rollout of safe, effective, acceptable and accessible rectal microbicides for African men, women, and transgender individuals.

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Goals

• Centerpiece activity– Working/strategy meeting in advance of

ICASA 2011 (International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa)

– Addis, Ababa, Ethiopia, December 2 – 3, 2011

– 45 individuals will participate – Africans/allies• Invited: RSA, Malawi, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria,

Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Canada, USA

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at ICASA 2011

– Scholarship program to support additional 16 Africans to attend • 145 Africans submitted scholarship

applications• Announcement made yesterday, 5 October• Represented: gay/MSM, female, trans,

openly HIV+, researchers, advocates, NGOs• Cameroon, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Zambia, RSA,

Kenya, Nigeria (UK), Rwanda

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at ICASA 2011

• Capacity-building– Enhance capacity of African community advocates to participate in rectal

microbicide agenda-setting, research and mobilisation efforts

• Setting the stage and context– Promote a common understanding of how rectal microbicide research is

proceeding, potential role that African rectal microbicide research and advocacy, and various African contexts within which rectal microbicides would be introduced

• Setting the agenda– Develop strategies for community mobilisation and more African

involvement in rectal microbicides; put rectal microbicides on biomedical HIV-prevention research agenda in Africa; and develop an African rectal microbicide research agenda that is part of global efforts

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at ICASA 2011

• Project ARM video (IRMA, Pop Council, others)– Educate communities and policymakers about

prevalence of anal intercourse among men and women in Africa and associated HIV/STI risks

– Make case for why rectal microbicides are needed in Africa

– Provide information about existing HIV prevention strategies for anal intercourse, including guidance about condom-compatible lubricants

• Produce report for release at Microbicides 2012 in Sydney, Australia– Detailing outcomes from Addis - African-specific

strategy

• FOLLOW THROUGH! 17

Next steps

If you think you’re too small to make a difference… you’ve never spent the night with a mosquito. – AFRICAN SAYING

Now it’s up to you…

Thank you

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Questions?

Don’t be a stranger

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jpickett@aidschicago.orgbrian.kanyemba@hiv-research.org.za

Stay in touch.