Noticias

The first Extraordinary Assembly of SOMOSGAY took place in the LGBT Community Center on Saturday, October 4th, for the election of two representatives from our communities who will occupy a political space that defines and manages projects for which Paraguay is funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The Assembly was attended by Mrs. Adriana Irun, in her role of Co-Chair of the Country Coordinating Mechanism.

With opening remarks from the Executive Director and Co-Founder of SOMOSGAY, Simon Cazal, the meeting continued with a brief introduction on the Global Fund’s new funding mechanism, followed by the election of the President and Secretary of the Assembly, being Martin Vera and Juan Sebastian Cabral respectively elected for these roles.

During the meeting, the required profile for candidates was detailed with remarks from Mrs. Irun, who is also the Secretary of the Network of NGOs Working on HIV, explaining the methodology used by the CCM, the frequency of meetings, periodic reports to the communities, involving members from civil society organizations with the CCM, the presentation of the new project to the Global Fund, as well as clarifying that the participation in the CCM is entirely voluntary and there is not  any remuneration.

Unanimously, the vote of the Assembly resulted in the election of Adolfo Ruiz Ferreira and Carlos Sánchez as representative and alternate representative, respectively. Notably, the representative Carlos Sanchez also is the current Focal Point for the Latin American Network of Young People Living with HIV (J+LAC).

About the Global Fund and the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM)

The Global Fund is an international financing mechanism that is responsible for channeling financial resources to help countries reduce the impact of AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, by facilitating the implementation of sustainable programs with country partners. The Global Fund uses a performance-based through the "country coordinating mechanism" (CCM), "principal recipient" (PR) and other local partners to ensure that the funds are used effectively.

The CCM involve representatives from both public and private sectors, including governments, multilateral and bilateral agencies, NGOs, academic institutions, private businesses and people living with these diseases. They are essential to the Global Fund's commitment to local empowerment and decision-making in a participatory manner.

Thus, and to promote the active participation of gay men and other MSM in the response to HIV and AIDS in Paraguay, SOMOSGAY accompanies the management of this CCM, serving as supervisor and controller of its activities to ensure the efficient and effective use of resources to be implemented in our country.