This report on ASEAN HIV efforts is so poorly written it is unintelligible.
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ASEAN Foundation supports experts meeting on gender, HIV and human rights related issues
Over 50 experts working on gender, HIV, and human rights related issues gathered in Bangkok, Thailand on 1-2 February 2011 for the Gender Exchange Meeting aimed at enhancing technical capacity to support an accelerated response to HIV in the Asia-Pacific region. This is in line with the call to scale up activities to address HIV, gender and human rights related issues as called for in the UNAIDS Agenda for Women and Girls (2010 – 2014).
Organized by the UNAIDS family, UN Women, 7 Sisters and the Asia Pacific Network of People Living with HIV (APTN+) and funded by the ASEAN Foundation through the Japan-ASEAN Solidarity Fund and the GTZ, the meeting aimed to enhance the technical capacity of participants through consultative sessions on understanding and defining gender, tracking the key gender related milestones in the HIV response in the region and developing a better understanding of how data analysis can support the faster achievement of gender related milestones. The meeting also identified upcoming opportunities vis-à-vis gender and HIV in 2011 and beyond, such as the Global Fund funding opportunities, global and regional meetings to influence policy such as the HIV and Law Commission and the process leading up the High Level UN Meeting on HIV and Universal Access, and finally, identified and discussed key challenges, such as the issue of gender-based violence and how it impacts the HIV epidemic, challenges in working with governments in engendering national AIDS strategies, and the challenges faced by consultants in delivering quality technical assistance. Participants formed networks, debated key issues regarding gender and HIV, and formulated consensus on moving forward in key areas of their work. The meeting provided an opportunity to bring together actors from the relevant sectors to discuss the current situation, and how to work efficiently and effectively to end HIV transmission.
“The ASEAN Foundation is pleased to be part of this project and contribute towards the ASEAN goal of realizing an ASEAN Community which is ‘people centred’ and socially responsible,” said Dr. Makarim Wibisono, Executive Director of ASEAN Foundation during the opening ceremony of the Gender Exchange Meeting.
The Gender Exchange Meeting is one of the activities under the regional project funded by the ASEAN Foundation entitled “Development and Implementation of HIV Prevention Strategy against Spousal Transmission in the ASEAN Region”, which aims to develop an evidence-informed prevention strategy for married women in the ASEAN region, noting that most national strategies on AIDS focus on population with high-risk behaviour, which excludes married women. Under this project, the ASEAN Foundation will support the capacity building components and the formation of regional network of women’s organizations and other civil society organizations to address prevention of spousal transmission of AIDS.
http://www.aseanfoundation.org/index2.php?main=news/2011/2011-02-17.php
