On September 20, U.S. Ambassador Glyn Davies opened a three-day event in Bangkok with over 125 delegates from nearly 20 Asian countries to find ways to improve healthcare access, especially for HIV prevention, testing, and treatment services for transgender people. Participants at the The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), USAID Asia, United Nations Development Programme – UNDP and UNAIDS sponsored consultation — the first of its kind in Asia — explored ways to reduce stigma and remove barriers to accessing healthcare and HIV services by transgender communities in Asia, who are disproportionately affected by HIV. Globally a transgender woman is 49 times more likely to contract HIV than someone in the general population.
