WE ARE A GLOBAL VOICE
Strengthening the response to emerging Health, HIV/AIDS and Human Rights epidemics among African and Black Migrants from the Diaspora.
Why we exist
ABDGN is the only network of its kind with a specific focus on African, Black, Diaspora, Migrant and Refugee (ABDMR) key populations. We remain committed to surfacing issues affecting Black and African diaspora populations; highlighting key priorities, discussing the importance of neglected intersectional issues related to health and HIV in the global policy arena and collaborating with other networks for change.
Who we advocate for
We advocate for health and human rights for our diverse cultural, faith, and linguistic communities that exist around the world. African and Black Diaspora Migrant and Refugee (ABDMR) populations represent a mix of forced and willing migration of Africans and their descendants. These populations are diverse and may or may not have maintained strong economic, cultural and familial ties with their countries of origin.
These populations include descendants from the transatlantic slave trade, which resulted in populations of African descendants living in the Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, and Western Europe. These populations also includes populations of recent migrants (e.g. economic African migrants in Australia), multi-generational populations (e.g. African-Americans in the United States; second generation Caribbean populations in Canada), refugee and asylum seekers (e.g. African refugees in Western Europe and MENA region) and mobile populations (e.g. Caribbean populations working/living in multiple countries around the region).
Why Focus on African Diaspora Populations?
OUR ROLE IN THE GLOBAL HIV
RESPONSE
LEAD
FOSTER POLICY ACTION ON MIGRANTS — A KEY VULERABLE POPULATION IN THE HIV RESPONSE.
COLLABORATE
STRENGTHEN OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH KEY ORGANIZATIONS IN HEALTH, HUMAN RIGHTS AND HIV.
MOBILIZE
DEVELOP A SUSTAINABLE STRATEGY FOR RESOURCE.
MOBILIZATION THROUGH DONOR PARTNERSHIPS.
WHO WE NEED TO ACTION CHANGE
THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE WORK
ABDGN Governing Council member organizations add tremendous value to the global network as they are located in the countries/regions with large ABDMR populations, and their organizations serve the diverse cultural, linguistic and social histories of ABDMR populations.
ABDGN is the only global platform that brings together these complex geographic and historical impacts of mobility through its Governing Council member organizations. ABDGN relies on the GC member organizations to inform the global network on country and regional-level contexts, stakeholders, and mobilization opportunities that ABDGN can utilize to ensure relevancy and impact of our advocacy and programmatic initiatives at the global level.
Governing Council member organizations have proven track records of implementing human rights and addressing the needs of Inadequately Served Populations (ISP) including measuring HIV based discrimination and human rights abuses; HIV youth/sex worker/gay/transgender programme and monitoring models for scale up; legal supports and interventions; migrant ISP community mobilization.
ABDGN
Canada
Women's Health in Women's Hands
Canada
African and Caribbean Council on HIV/AIDS in Ontario
Canada
CARIBBEAN VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES COALITION
Jamaica
ABDGN
Netherlands
AFRICAN SERVICES COMMITTEE
United States
Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations
Australia
Interagency Coalition on AIDS and Development
Canada
Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition
Jamaica
AIDES
France
Black AIDS Institute
United States
Black AIDS Institute
United StatesOUR STORY
ABDGN emerged from activities organized for the African and Black Diaspora stream at the 16th International AIDS Conference (IAC)-AIDS 2006 held in Toronto, Canada. The first of its kind at the IAC, the Diaspora stream presented an extraordinary opportunity to highlight HIV/AIDS pandemics amongst African and Black populations living in the western world.
The African and Caribbean Council on HIV and AIDS in Ontario (ACCHO), Women’s Health in Women’s Hands Community Health Centre (WHIWH) and the Black AIDS Institute (BAI), with support from the International Coalition of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO), The Global Network of People living with HIV and AIDS (GNP+) and the Toronto Local Host Secretariat for AIDS 2006, advocated for a stream of activities, events, and conference sessions that highlighted the unique HIV/AIDS issues for African and Caribbean populations living in western developed countries, inclusive of migrant/immigrant/refugee (MIR) populations.
ACCHO then recruited an international advisory committee with representatives from Canada, the United States and Europe to facilitate the implementation of the stream for the conference. It quickly became clear that there was a need for this emerging coalition to continue advocating for migrant and diaspora populations after the conference and beyond. As a result of the momentum and support for the goals of this conference advocacy effort, ABDGN was formed.
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Mon-Fri: 9:00 to 5:00
Address
2 Carlton Street, Suite 500Toronto, ON M5B 1J3
Canada