Abstract
Drawing on archival materials, in-depth qualitative interviews with current and former HIVactivists, and participant observation at HIV prevention organizations in Ukraine, I sketch the history and recent activities of HIV-activists organizations. The research allowed me to identify the role of civil society organizations in health policy processes, practices and types of HIV-activism, and challenges for this activism’s development. The paper shows that major transformations have occurred in both service provision and policy practices, including the introduction of the national and regional coordination councils. These councils enforce the horizontal level of public policy, as well as changing the public’s opinion regarding HIV-positive people and the measures to combat HIV. The international organizations and their beneficiaries in Ukraine are the main challengers to existing practices and the driving forces for changes in public health policy and the strengthening of participatory approaches.
Highlights
In the past 25 years, major transformations of political and socio-economic systems in the countries of Soviet bloc have occurred
A Brief Historical Account of HIV-activism in Ukraine: The Impact of Global Actors In Ukraine, as the results of this study indicate, few national-scaled HIV-activist organizations have local branches rooted in small mutual-support groups
This study proves that the HIV-activism in Ukraine is in one or the other of two categories: 1) neo-liberal activism; 2) radical activism
Summary
In the past 25 years, major transformations of political and socio-economic systems in the countries of Soviet bloc have occurred. The Soviet Union’s break-up and the resulting collapse of the state economy resulted in shortages of goods and food supplies and triggered social problems, such as unemployment, emigration, homelessness, and poverty Accompanying these major political and social changes in Ukraine and in other post-socialist countries was a dramatic growth of juvenile delinquency, drug and alcohol misuse, mental health issues and a HIV/AIDS epidemic. Civil society is defined here as a sphere of society outside government and business It includes a multitude of groups, organizations and associations that participate in public life and embody people’s collective interests.[2] These groups and networks serve as tools for citizens to voice their interests and become parties in decision-making processes. The cooperative and collective efforts of these sectors are essential to easing an otherwise arduous democratization process.”[7]
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