UNAIDS Press Release - August 20, 2007

Speaking at the opening session of the 8th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP), Rao said resources for national AIDS programs in Asia, while increasing, are insufficient for a durable response to AIDS. National governments' budgets for AIDS programmes in the region account for only 30% of the US$ 1.2 billion of allocated funds for AIDS. With the exception of Thailand, international donors fund the balance.

Although prevalence rates remain low across the region, rates of new infections are rising in a number of countries such as Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Nepal and Bangladesh.

We need continued vigilance to ensure that HIV prevention and treatment are reaching people most at risk and most in need," said Rao, warning against complacency.

Rao stated that achieving regional targets of Universal Access to HIV prevention treatment and care demands a sharply defined multi-sectored government response and a revitalized civil society to confront legal and social barriers that hinder access to HIV prevention and treatment services.

While applauding harm reduction policies in Malaysia, China and India, revived prevention efforts in Thailand, and outreach to men who have sex with men in Cambodia, Rao stressed that stigma and discriminatory laws still poses serious obstacles in the region and demanded that national policies focus on the forgotten faces of the AIDS epidemic."

Rao also expressed concern about the rise in political instability and conflict in many Asia Pacific countries which thwarts access to HIV prevention and treatment programmes; Apart from the direct toll of human lives, conflict also exacerbates existing problems of poverty and displaces thousands, making them more vulnerable to health related problems."

Concluding his speech, Rao called upon civil society groups--including people living with HIV-to continue and to increase pressure on governments to deliver concrete AIDS programmes.

Contact: GE Yasmine Topor +41 22 791 3501 topory@unaids.org COL Bai Bagasao +94 7743 08720 bagasaob@unaids.org BKK Jeanne Hallacy +66 86 003 2316 hallacy@loxinfo.co.th

070820
UN070805

Copyright © 2007 - Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). All rights reserved. UNAIDS articles, which are not formal publications of UNAIDS, may be freely reviewed, quoted, reproduced or translated, in part or in full, provided the source is acknowledged. The documents may not be sold or used in conjunction with commercial purposes without prior written approval from UNAIDS (contact: UNAIDS Information Centre).

AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Roche and Trimeris, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2007. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2007. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .