The study was designed and implemented in consultation with the project sponsor (The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)) and external HIV and AIDS experts. Over the course of the project, the UNDP in collaboration with The Turkish International Agency for Cooperation and Development (TİKA) organized three workshops to provide guidance to research teams conducting the study in 5 countries of the Eastern Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States region. The UNDP also organized a number of conference calls to provide constant substantive support to the research team. A local NGO, the “Positive Living Association,” assisted with the review of the final country report and the data collection process, based on a formal sub-contract arrangement. At the same time, the HATAM and Numune Hospitals in Ankara were involved in recruiting people living with HIV (PLHIV) for the in-depth interviews.

The research team was also in contact with a number of experts from the Ministry of Health, who are responsible for the implementation of the National Action Plan in order to ensure that a realistic and balanced picture of the HIV and AIDS situation in Turkey is presented.

We would like to thank UNDP national and regional staff for their financial and technical contributions. We also would like to express our sincere appreciation to the Sociology Association, Positive Living Association, HATAM and Numune Hospitals for their sincere support. We are also grateful to all the participants (PLHIV and participants from mirror institutions) who made this research possible.