On 18th November 2025, EHRA and project RESILIENT team organized the workshop Harnessing international advocacy for national progress
Background
In recent years, an array of restrictive “crisis” measures—ranging from foreign-agent registration laws and draconian anti-drug propaganda statutes to LGBTQI+ censorship rules and steep cuts in global health funding—has severely constrained the ability of civil society actors to deliver essential HIV, TB and related health services to key populations.
In response to these developments a RESILIENT project (started in 2025) aims to build resilience and strengthen advocacy of community-led groups/organizations in EECA to prevent and mitigate regulatory challenges that threaten the rights of people living with HIV (PLHIV) and key populations (KPs) – people using drugs (PUD), LGBTQI+, sex workers (SW). It focuses on countering restrictive laws (e.g. “foreign agent”, “anti-LGBT propaganda”) that shrink civic space and hinder community-led, including HIV, responses. One of the objectives of the project is to increase capacity of the national stakeholders to identify opportunities for and advocate against harmful regulatory changes at the national level.
Goal
The workshop Harnessing international advocacy for national progress: regional and international advocacy tactics for civil society to influence national policies aimed to introduce the options of regional and international level advocacy to influence the national level decision makers, policy and regulations.
Audience
18 participants from 10 countries (Azerbaijan, Georgia, France, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Tajikistan, Ukraine), including RESILIENT project Focal Points, members of ECOM, EHRA, EWNA, SWAN, civil society and community activists from LGBTQI+, people living with HIV, people using drugs and sex workers, took part in the workshop.
Presentations
– Advocacy cycle (in Russian)
– Tactics of regional and international advocacy (in English)
Organizers
EHRA, ECOM, EWNA and SWAN within the project “Resilient communities & securing civic space for HIV response in EECA” (RESILIENT).