Practical Guidance for Implementing HIV and STI Programs with MSM

Download the MSMIT in English | French | Portuguese | Spanish | Russian.

The MSMIT is also available in 32 Youtube Videos as part of the CPR Online Learning Platform

Men who have sex with men have played a central role in designing and implementing HIV prevention, treatment, care and support programs since the start of the HIV epidemic. For more than 30 years, their expertise, creativity, energy and fortitude have shaped the global response to the epidemic in important and indelible ways. The MSM Implementation Toolkit (MSMIT) seeks to honor and support the legacy forged by men who have sex with men at the community level and which they continue to create. It therefore gives particular attention to programs run or led by men who have sex with men themselves, in contexts where this is possible.

How to use this tool


This tool is designed for use by public-health officials and managers of HIV, AIDS and STI programmes; NGOs, including community and civil-society organizations; and health workers. It may also be of interest to international funding agencies, health policy-makers and advocates. It is meant to cover implementation of interventions across the full HIV services continuum, including prevention, treatment, care and support interventions. Each chapter explicitly or implicitly addresses one or more of the 2011 Guidelines for HIV and STI Prevention and Treatment Among MSM or the 2014 Consolidated Guidelines for Key Populations.

Six chapters organized across six principal areas of focus


The first two chapters describe approaches and principles to building programs that are led by men who have sex with men. These community-led approaches are themselves essential interventions. Chapters 3, 4 and 5 describe approaches to implementing recommended interventions for HIV prevention, care and treatment. Chapter 6 describes how to manage programs and build the capacity of organizations of men who have sex with men.

Another useful tool from WHO to set and monitor targets for HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care for key populations: Click here