Background Over the past 20 years, civil society organizations (CSOs) in China have significantly increased their involvement in the AIDS response. This article aims to review the extent of civil society participation in China AIDS programmes over the past two decades.Methods A desk review was conducted to collect Chinese government policies, project documents and published articles on civil society participation of HIV/AIDS programmes in China over the past two decades. Assessment focused on five aspects: (i) the political environment; (ii) access to financial resources; (iii) the number of CSOs working on HIV/AIDS; (iv) the scope of work; and (v) the impact of CSO involvement on programmes.Results The number of CSOs specificly working on HIV/AIDS increased from 0 before 1988 to over 400 in 2009. Among a sample of 368 CSOs, 135 (36.7%) were registered. CSOs were primarily supported by international programmes. Government financial support to CSOs has increased from USD248 000 in 2002 to USD1.46 million in 2008. Initially, civil society played a minimal role. It is now widely involved in nearly all aspects of HIV/AIDS-related prevention, treatment and care efforts, and has had a positive impact; for example, increased adherence of anti-retroviral treatment and HIV testing among hard-to-reach groups. The main challenges faced by CSOs include registration, capacity and long-term financial support.Conclusion CSOs have significantly increased their participation and contribution to HIV/AIDS programmes in China. Policies for registration and financial support to CSOs need to be developed to enable them to play an even greater role in AIDS programmes.

Objective:Information on mental health and substance use challenges among gay, bisexual, and other MSM (GBMSM) is needed to focus resources on these issues and optimize services for HIV prevention and care. We determined factors associated with depressive symptoms and problematic alcohol and other substance use among GBMSM in Kenya.Methods:Self-identified GBMSM in three HIV research studies in Kenya provided information on depressive symptoms [Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9)], alcohol use [Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT)], and other substance use [Drug Abuse Screening Test 6 (DAST-6)]. Associations were evaluated using mixed effects Poisson regression.Results:Of 1476 participants, 452 (31%) reported moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 ≥ 10), 637 (44%) hazardous alcohol use (AUDIT ≥ 8), and 749 (51%) problematic substance use (DAST-6 ≥ 1). Known HIV-positive status was not associated with these outcomes. Transactional sex was associated with hazardous alcohol use [adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) 1.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.12–1.60]. Childhood abuse and recent trauma were associated with moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms (aPR 1.43, 95% CI 1.10–1.86 and aPR 2.43, 95% CI 1.91–3.09, respectively), hazardous alcohol use (aPR 1.36, 95% CI 1.10–1.68 and aPR 1.60, 95% CI 1.33–1.93, respectively), and problematic substance use (aPR 1.32, 95% CI 1.09–1.60 and aPR 1.35, 95% CI 1.14–1.59, respectively).Conclusion:GBMSM in rights-constrained settings need culturally appropriate services for treatment and prevention of mental health and substance use disorders, in addition to human rights advocacy to prevent abuse. Mental health and substance use screening and treatment or referral should be an integral part of programs, including HIV prevention and treatment programs, providing services to GBMSM.

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Background For 20 years, China has participated in 267 international cooperation projects against the HIV/AIDS epidemic and received ∼526 million USD from over 40 international organizations. These projects have played an important role by complementing national efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS in China.Methods The diverse characteristics of these projects followed three phases over 20 years. Initially, stand-alone projects provided technical support in surveillance, training or advocacy for public awareness. As the epidemic spread across China, projects became a part of the comprehensive and integrated national response. Currently, international best practices encourage the inclusion of civil society and non-governmental organizations in an expanded response to the epidemic.Results Funding from international projects has accounted for one-third of the resources provided for the HIV/AIDS response in China. Beyond this strong financial support, these programmes have introduced best practices, accelerated the introduction of AIDS policies, strengthened capacity, improved the development of grassroots social organizations and established a platform for communication and experience sharing with the international community. However, there are still challenges ahead, including integrating existing resources and exploring new programme models. The National Centre for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention (NCAIDS) in China is consolidating all international projects into national HIV prevention, treatment and care activities.Conclusion International cooperation projects have been an invaluable component of China’s response to HIV/AIDS, and China has now been able to take this information and share its experiences with other countries with the help of these same international programmes.