Sri Lanka is among several Asian countries which will be benefited by a landmark $47 million grant for what the UNDP called a community-strengthening programme, aimed at reducing the rapid and alarming spread of HIV and AIDS among men who have sex with men and among transgender people in South Asia. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has approved in principle the grant.

The grant proposal was submitted by Naz Foundation International (NFI), PSI (Population Services International), the United Nations Development Programme Regional Center based in Colombo (UNDP RCC), and the South Asian MSM and AIDS Network (SAMAN), a coalition of country level

community based organizations dedicated to MSM and HIV issues. The five-year project will encompass Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. This marks the first time the Global Fund will support a major regional project in Asia specifically addressing men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender (TG) and HIV.