Tactical tools

Advocates must have access to the best available tools in order to influence a desired change in values, attitudes, behaviours, or even policies and programming on voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) for HIV prevention. The tactical resources on this page are tools that advocates and other stakeholders can use in their daily work to execute a task or address a specific issue that may lead to realisation of a desired change. These resources range from "how to" videos and documents that provide step-by-step guidance on addressing a specific issue, to update briefs with the latest information on progress, to calls to action on specific issues affecting VMMC scale-up. Please contact AVAC or the Clearinghouse if you have a tactical resource to share.

Now What? AVAC Annual Report 2019

Global stakeholders must set ambitious new targets for the post-2020 world. All countries and communities that haven’t yet reached 80 percent of infants, boys, or men targeted by the national prevention plan for VMMC should have funding and strategies in place to meet those goals by the end of 2025.

Applying Lessons from VMMC to COVID-19

As South Africa went into its coronavirus lockdown in March, non-emergency procedures such as medical circumcisions were stopped. And CHAPS teams—like many organisations providing VMMC around the world—pivoted to begin supporting the fight against COVID-19, specifically South Africa’s massive COVID-19 screening and testing campaign. The CHAPS team members who switched from VMMC to COVID-19 brought many lessons from HIV to COVID-19, including that “the biggest lesson South Africa could learn from COVID-19 is something we also saw with past efforts to increase the uptake of VMMC and antiretrovirals for HIV-positive clients: Don’t roll out a public health response without adequate knowledge, or information dissemination, to communities.”

 

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UNAIDS and WHO Progress Brief: Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision, February 2021

Nearly 27 million voluntary medical male circumcisions had been performed in 15 priority countries by the end of 2019, and more than 60% of the 2020 VMMC target had been reached before services were disrupted by the SARS-CoV2 pandemic, UNAIDS and WHO report.

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2018 HIV Prevention Research & Development Investments: Investing to End the Epidemic

After five consecutive years of declining investment in research and development (R&D) for HIV prevention options, annual funding increased in 2018 by a modest 1.2 percent, or US$ 13 million, according to the latest report from the Resource Tracking for HIV Prevention Research and Development

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HIV Prevention 2020 Road Map

UNAIDS, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and partners have launched a road map for reducing new HIV infections by 75 percent by 2020, promoting greater investment and engagement in HIV primary prevention.

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Op-Eds Let You Tell Your Story Your Way
Op-Eds Let You Tell Your Story Your Way

AVAC offers guidance on writing a clear, concise, and persuasive op-ed for a newspaper or other media outlet to influence change on an issue related to HIV prevention.

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When and How to Write a Letter to the Editor
When and How to Write a Letter to the Editor

Offering a dozen tips, this tool provides guidance on writing a letter to the editor of a newspaper to correct misinformation, endorse an argument, or provide a different perspective on an issue related to HIV prevention.

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CCC Post 2015 SDG Analysis
Smart Development Goals

VMMC is among the 19 most cost-effective interventions to achieve sustainable development targets, as illustrated in this infographic.

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Separating Fact from Fiction
Separating Fact from Fiction

This document provides evidence-based rebuttals to common myths and misconceptions about voluntary medical male circumcision.

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Call to Action Report Press Release
Call to Action Report Press Release

African and US AIDS advocates issued a press release to announce a new report calling for rapid scale-up of voluntary medical male circumcision.

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A Call to Action on VMMC
A Call to Action on Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision: Implementing a Key Component of Combination HIV Prevention

A report from AVAC and partners calls on countries, donors, and communities to redouble their efforts and apply lessons learned to achieve the goal of 80 percent male circumcision coverage for HIV prevention.

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