On September 18-19, 2025, a Workshop on the Presentation and Discussion of the Results of the Biobehavioral Study (IBBS) among men who have sex with men (MSM) was held in Kyiv and online, the field stage of which took place in 10 cities of Ukraine at the end of 2024. The event was organized by the Center for Public Health of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine with the participation of national and international partners, representatives of LGBTIQ+ organizations and HIV-service NGOs, members of the Expert Group on Health and Rights of LGBTIQ+ (EGHR Ukraine), researchers, medical professionals, as well as regional leaders of MSM/LGBTQ+ communities.
The objectives of the meeting were:
► presentation of the results of the IBBS among a key group of MSM in combination with routine surveillance data and program indicators, which will allow identifying key trends in the spread of HIV among MSM;
► assessment of the effectiveness of program interventions in HIV prevention and testing programs;
► identify gaps and directions for further strengthening prevention, treatment, care and support measures;
► discuss the results of the study among MSM/LGBTIQ+ communities, NGOs, researchers and health professionals;
► initiate a joint process of data triangulation (using multiple independent sources, methods, and studies to confirm the results and increase their reliability and objectivity).
In addition to the presentations, special attention was paid to active discussions, sharing experiences of successes and challenges, proposals for improving access to services for the MSM community, as well as for the community to express practical ideas for improving the quality and collection of data in the next rounds of the IBPD. This made our discussions truly meaningful and productive.
During the panel discussion “Comparison of IBBS data and routine surveillance of MSM”, Andrii Chernyshev from ALLIANCE.GLOBAL told what health and social services for MSM and for LGBTIQ+ people in general need the most support, and what interesting differences are observed between different regions that can be used to exchange best practices.
At the end of the second day of the workshop, an interesting panel discussion was held with MSM leaders and representatives of LGBTIQ+ organizations, where the main attention was paid to discussing the following questions:
– What data is useful for the community?
– How exactly should the obtained data be used with maximum benefit for the community for real changes?
– What data is missing?
– Suggestions from the community on steps to improve services for MSM.
Vasyl Malikov provided an expertise and a feedback on a variety of IBBS issues, its data application and recommendations for further rounds of survey.