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SEA-AIDS
eCorrespondent
Issue 1 – April 2005 |
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The
Asia-Pacific region needs to share
experiences about HIV/AIDS more than
ever. The current and future epidemic
scenarios here place an onus on all of
us to make sure our work is as
effective, inclusive and successful as
possible. It is also important that we
make the needs and challenges of our
region widely known, not least so we can
even out the constant references to the
importance of AIDS in Africa. This is a
critical opportunity to refocus on the
HIV/AIDS responses in our region. In
light of these needs and feedback from
some forum members, we are pleased to
provide the first monthly synopsis of
SEA-AIDS: eCorrespondent. We hope
it will help to make all of our work,
advocacy and networking more effective,
and that you will give us
feedback
on its value. We encourage you to
forward or re-distribute the SEA-AIDS
eCorrespondent. |
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In brief...... |
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Stigma & discrimination |
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National
governments of Viet Nam and India
continue to consolidate their policies
against HIV/AIDS-related discrimination:
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VIET NAM:
Building on Viet Nam's President T.
Luong's visit with people living
with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) last year,
Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van
Khai issued a decree against anyone
who reveals the test results, names,
addresses or photographs of
HIV-positive people. It also
includes anyone who fires an
HIV-positive employee or expels a
HIV-positive student.
more…
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INDIA:
Indian Health Minister Anbumani
Ramadoss announced draft legislation
prohibiting discrimination against
people living with HIV/AIDS. "We
have finalized draft legislation to
end discrimination against AIDS
patients. It has gone to the law
ministry and will be passed on to
parliament," he stated.
more…
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Security forces |
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INDIA:
Indian defence authorities reported that
more soldiers in India's northeast are
dying from AIDS-related conditions than
from military operations. Of the 55,000
deployed along the northeast border, 32
have died from AIDS and 180 are in a
serious condition. India's northeast is
one of India high HIV prevalence areas,
with an estimated 100,000 people
infected with HIV.
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United
States Pacific Command (USPACOM) and
160 Indian armed forces personnel
held a joint workshop to train
HIV/AIDS peer educators. (Hindustan
Times, 4/29/2005);
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UNAIDS
signed an agreement with the the
Indian Defence Ministry to assist
India's National AIDS Control
Organization (NACO) with designing
and implementing an HIV prevention
program for India's 1.8 million
military and paramilitary personnel.
(Vietnam News Agency, 4/29/2005).
more…
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Parliamentarians |
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PHILIPPINES:
The Philippines hosted 1,500
parliamentarians from 120 countries
during the 112th Inter-parliamentary
Union general assembly. The official
agenda included HIV/AIDS and other
transnational security issues such as
terrorism, human and drug trafficking
and human rights issues.
more…
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Advocacy |
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Call for change to the International
AIDS Conference
AIDS
Healthcare International Advocacy
submitted a call to change the current
format of the International AIDS
Conferences (IACs) to increase
involvement of nongovernmental (NGO) and
advocacy groups, while excluding
pharmaceutical companies as source of
funding. According to Terri M. Ford,
Director of International Advocacy, IACs
are "drug company trade shows", while
advocacy groups are often excluded from
official conference programmes and NGOs
are marginalized.
Ford called
on the International AIDS Society (IAS)
to " Increase the official involvement
of advocacy groups and NGO in the
conference design and program. " Accept
no funding from drug companies, instead
should be jointly funded by the Global
Fund, World Health Organization, the
European Union and the United Nations.
(SEA-AIDS 4/12/2005)
more…
[Note: The
International AIDS
Society (IAS) also recently
encouraged comments and suggestions to
improve the International AIDS
Conferences through their website.]
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Religion |
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Although
they do not always represent 'official'
AIDS policy in any given country,
religious leaders have a direct impact
on the attitudes towards people living
with AIDS as well as towards initiatives
such as condom promotion campaigns.
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MALAYSIA:
The Mufti (religious leader) of
Perak, Datuk Seri Harussani Zakaria
suggested that people living with
HIV/AIDS and other infectious
diseases should be quarantined on an
island. The Malaysian AIDS Council
(MAC) asked people to reject
Zakaria's statement. R. Hamzah,
MAC's spokesman apppealed that:
"Casting PLHAs away is an option
that will not only break family
unity and community harmony, but
also add on the existing stigma and
discrimination already faced daily
by PLHAs."
more…
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PHILIPPINES:
The appointment of Cardinal
Ratzinger as Pope Benedict revived
questions about the Catholic
Church's stance on the use of
condoms in HIV prevention programs.
Recently, the Catholic Church
strongly protested a Philippines US
$44.9 million dollar family planning
initiative, which includes promoting
the use of condoms. More than 80
percent of Filipinos are Catholic.
more…
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Trade & Economics |
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THAILAND:
The up-coming free trade negotiations
between Thailand and the United States
have raised concerns over patents on
antiretroviral (ARV) drugs. HIV/AIDS
advocates urged Bangkok not to negotiate
on the production of generic ARVs.
more…
INDIA:
India has amended its 1970 Patent Act in
order to be in compliance with World
Trade Organization (WTO) regulations.
Appeals to India's President by
patients, treatment and advocacy groups
requesting a review of compulsory
licensing have failed. Tripti Tandon of
the Lawyers Collective HIV/AIDS Unit in
India clarified that "As per the law
passed by parliament, generic
manufacturers will have to wait a
minimum of three and a half years before
applying for a compulsory license to
manufacture the patented drug unless the
government chooses to declare a health
emergency."
more…
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HDN Key Correspondent (KC) Coverage |
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Spotlight:
Commission on Social Determinants of
Health set up by WHO
Earlier this month in Santiago, Chile,
the Director General of the World Health
Organization (WHO) Dr Lee Jong-wook and
the President of Chile, Ricardo Escobar,
launched an important new WHO
initiative: establishment of a
Commission on Social Determinants of
Health.
more…
International
Conference on the Reduction of Drug
Related Harm: HIV+ drug users lagging
behind on the road to ARV treatment
more…
Speak Your World:
Q & A with Professor Mark Wainberg
"I don't think that three million
people will be on antiretroviral therapy
by the end of 2005. But I think just
this goal of attempting is worthwhile."
more…
Spotlight: Are
hopes for the new Pope misplaced?
It is to be hoped the new Pope may
encourage a stance that reflects the
advice of experts. However, this news
report from the BBC suggests the
conservative views of Pope John Paul may
continue into the new papacy.
more…
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Press Releases and Statements |
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PR: WHO
World Health Day
more…
PR: Campaign launch
highlights essential HIV/AIDS treatment
and care options
more…
PR:
President of India gives his assent to
the Patent Act, 2005
more…
PR:
New Review Finds HIVNET 012 Valid
more…
PR:
Expanded Initiative to Prevent
Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV
Expects to Reach 200,000 Women in Seven
Nations
more…
PR:
7th ICAAP Scholarship Announcement
more…
Statement:
Casting away PWHAs NOT an option - MAC
more…
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Networking |
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Action: Global
Fund Disbursement Issues:
Call for responses to questions about
the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and
Malaria (GFATM) in countries around the
world.
more…
Action:
Collaborative fund grant application:
Call for project proposals from
organisations seeking funding for
community-based HIV treatments advocacy
and education programs. DEADLINE FOR
SUBMISSIONS for Sri Lanka is 15 May
2005.
more…
Action: The G8
Must Take Action to Make AIDS History:
Call for organizational endorsements to
sign a platform outlining key issues to
make AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria
history.
more…
Action: PWHAs
network in northern Thailand:
Request for contact with PWHAs network
in Chiangrai, Thailand before 7th ICAAP
begins.
more…
Action: Nominate
NGO delegates for UNAIDS Programme
Coordinating Board (PCB) 2006-2007:
Call for nomination to the NGO
Delegation of its PCB for two-year
terms, CLOSING DATE is 15 May 2005.
more…
Action: amfAR
proposal requests for biomedical
research projects: The
American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR)
announces the availability of support
for targeted biomedical research
projects in several areas.
more…
Action: Call to
Asia/Pacific NGOs for UNGASS Input:
AMAL Human Development Network, based in
Islamabad Pakistan, requests input from
Asia/Pacific NGOs for the upcoming
UNGASS (UN General Assembly Special
Session on AIDS in 2005) at the June 2
meeting in New York.
more…
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Initiatives |
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Project: Memory
Work - Innovative women combating AIDS:
The Memory project began in 1998 to
support children who were facing the
prospect of losing their HIV-positive
parents.
more…
Project: UNESCO
educational radio project in minority
languages: From March 2005,
UNESCO Bangkok's Culture Unit began to
distribute audio materials of its ethnic
minority language radio soap operas for
the prevention of HIV/AIDS, trafficking
and drug abuse across the Upper Mekong
Sub-region.
more…
Project: Update on
Future Directions Project:
In November of 2004 [The International
AIDS Society announced] the launch of
the Future Directions project. The goal
of the project is to explore how the
International AIDS Conference can have
maximum impact in the global response to
AIDS.
more…
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