MPG is proud to announce that its work is selected for presentation at the 25th International AIDS Conference (IAS 2026), convening from 26–31 July 2026 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — the world’s largest gathering on HIV and a defining platform for the global response.
Mr. Pyi Aung Hein, Program Manager at MPG, delivers an in-person oral presentation on 30 July 2026 within the conference track on Political Science, Laws, Ethics, Policies and Human Rights. This selection is a meaningful recognition, not only for Mr. Pyi Aung Hein, but above all for the peers, case facilitators, and community members whose lived experiences and courage are at the heart of this work.
About the Presentation
The presentation, “Community Feedback Mechanisms (CFM) to Protect People Who Inject Drugs in Myanmar: A Rights-Based, Peer-Led Model,” presents evidence from a community-led system that documents and responds to discrimination, human rights violations, and gaps in services affecting people living with HIV and key populations.
From January 2024 to June 2025, peer case facilitators review256 validated cases involving people who inject drugs across high-burden areas — Mandalay, Sagaing, Kachin, and Shan. The findings speak clearly:
- 192 of 256 cases (75%) are resolved through peer-led support, local committees, referrals, and direct assistance, demonstrating that community leadership delivers results even in fragile settings.
- The unresolved cases are overwhelmingly rooted in structural and legal barriers, underscoring where sustained advocacy, legal protection, and reform of the enabling environment remain most urgently needed.
Why It Matters
This recognition affirms a principle central to the global AIDS response and to the Global Fund’s Community, Rights and Gender agenda: communities are not only recipients of HIV services, they are essential to ending AIDS as a public health threat. When communities lead, evidence moves faster from the ground to action, services become more accessible, and no one is left behind. MPG’s CFM offers a practical, replicable model of community-led monitoring that strengthens both health outcomes and human rights.
“This recognition belongs to our communities. It shows that when people with lived experience are trusted to lead, they deliver solutions that protect lives, uphold dignity, and keep HIV services within reach. We are deeply proud of Mr. Pyi Aung Hein and every peer facilitator who makes this possible.”
— Dr. Sai Htun Lin, Executive Director, Myanmar Positive Group
With Gratitude
We warmly congratulate Mr. Pyi Aung Hein and the entire CFM team, and we thank the members of the Community Network Consortium on HIV (CNC) — the Myanmar MSM and Transgender Women Network (MMTN), Myanmar Youth Stars (MYS), Myanmar Positive Women Network (MPWN), Puu Paung Swan Saung Myanmar (PPSSM), Sex Workers in Myanmar Network (SWiM), National Drug User Network–Myanmar (NDNM), and the National NGOs Network (Health) – 3N — whose collaboration makes this achievement possible.
As MPG takes Myanmar’s community voices to the global stage in Rio, we renew our call to partners, donors, and policymakers to invest in community-led responses. When communities lead, change follows.
About the Project and Support
This work is implemented under the technical guidance of the National AIDS Programme (NAP), Ministry of Health, and is made possible through Global Fund financing channeled via Save the Children International as Principal Recipient (PR), with technical support from UNAIDS. Epidemiological data cited in the presentation are drawn from UNAIDS 2024 estimates and the National AIDS Programme.
The views expressed are those of Myanmar Positive Group and the communities it serves and do not necessarily reflect those of the donors or partners named above.
