Here are more press reports on the recent consultation on universal access. Interesting to see that Myanmar’s neighbour to the south has set a numerical target of a decreased number infections but details are light on how this is going to be achieved.

Asia Pacific Government, NGO Leaders Meet in Thailand To Discuss Universal Access to HIV/AIDS Treatment, Prevention

     Delegates from 22 countries in the Asia Pacific region on Tuesday began a three-day meeting in Pattaya, Thailand, aimed at creating regional plans for universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment, as well as prevention information, the Bangkok Post reports. UNAIDS Director of Country and Regional Support Michel Sidibe said delegates at the conference -- which includes representatives from governments, nongovernmental organizations and community and faith-based organizations working in public health -- highlighted where money is needed for long-term prevention and treatment so that funding proposals could be made for the region. "We will make sure that the universal access process makes a difference, both in advocacy and in practical actions to help countries overcome obstacles t o scaling up," Sidibe said (Bangkok Post, 2/14). Prasada Rao, UNAIDS Asia Pacific regional director, said that to achieve universal access, every nation in the region must enhance their HIV-prevention efforts as well as their treatment programs (Xinhuanet, 2/15). The nearly 200 delegates also are scheduled to discuss funding for domestic and global HIV/AIDS programs, fighting the stigma related to the epidemic and providing equal care and services to HIV-positive people. Sidibe said each country will create its own objectives, as well as a list of "10 top actions" to curb the epidemic across the region (Associated Press, 2/14). "The fight against AIDS must be invigorated," Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, special UNAIDS representative on HIV and AIDS in the Pacific, said, adding, "We must change our attitudes and persuade others to change their attitude s towards AIDS and in particular towards those suffering from it" (PNS/Pacific Magazine, 2/13). Some HIV/AIDS advocates expressed reservations about what can be accomplished at such a large meeting. Mechai Viravaidya, a Thai senator and director of the Population and Community Development Association, said there is "not much the U.N. can do if there is no country commitment," adding that there must be progress on a local level. About 20% of the more than 40 million HIV-positive people in the world live in the region, according to the Post (Bangkok Post, 2/14).

Thai Minister Says Government Aims To Halve Number of New HIV Cases

Thai Vice Minister for Public Health Arun Pausawasdi at the conference on Tuesday said the government plans to contribute to the regionwid e effort to curb the HIV/AIDS epidemic by halving the annual number of new HIV cases in Thailand within the next three years, AFP/Yahoo! News reports. "Thailand will move ahead with a strategic aim to strengthen our prevention programs and to reduce annual new [HIV cases] by half within three years," Arun said, adding, "We do anticipate that the number of new HIV [cases] in 2008 will be 7,500" (AFP/Yahoo! News, 2/13). The Ministry of Public Health's Disease Control Department last month announced that the number of new HIV cases in 2005 declined by about 10% to about 18,000 (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 1/5).

Thailand Aims to Halve HIV Infections Within Three Years: Official
Agence France Presse (02.14.06) - Wednesday, February 15, 2006

On Tuesday at an HIV/AIDS conference in Pattaya, a senior Thai health official announced a campaign designed to halve new HIV infections within three years. Health officials from 22 countries are attending the three-day conference, which aims to find regional strategies for providing universal HIV/AIDS treatment. "Thailand will move ahead with a strategic aim to strengthen our prevention programs and to reduce new infections by half within three years," said professor Arun Pausawasdi, Thai vice minister for public health. "We do anticipate that the number of new HIV infections in 2008 will be 7,500 cases [against 15,000 new cases reported in 2005] and thus, in 2010, there will be no more than 6,000 cases." More than one million Thais have contracted HIV since the first case was reported 22 years ago, according to a Thai government statement in July. Roughly 500,000 have died and approximately 500,000 are living with the disease. A UN report in November said Thailand's adult HIV prevalence rate fell to a record low of 1.5 percent in 2003, but it noted that only 51 percent of Thai sex workers reported using condoms. Arun told the conference that the Thai government has declared universal antiretroviral coverage for HIV/AIDS patients who meet the necessary criteria. Michel Sidibe, director of country and regional support for UNAIDS, said getting information to young people and dealing with discrimination were barriers to the UN's goal of universal access to treatment by 2010. Other challenges, Sidibe said, were reaching men who have sex with men, sex workers, and dealing with issues of immigration and migration.

Global Challenges | Asia Must Reform Policies To Tackle HIV Among 'Marginalized' Populations, Experts Say[Feb 21, 2006]

      Asian countries need to reform laws to tackle the HIV/AIDS pandemic among "marginalized" populations, including commercial sex workers and injection drug users, experts at a meeting in Pattaya, Thailand, said, VOA News reports (Corben, VOA News, 2/16). Delegates from 22 countries in the Asia Pacific region attended the three-day meeting in Pattaya, aimed at creating regional plans for universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention information (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 2/15). Michel Sidibe, UNAIDS director of country and regional support, said reform is crucial in helping to minimize discrimination against high-risk groups, which include sex workers, injection drug users and men who have sex with men. Don Baxter, executive director for the Australian Federation of AIDS Organizations, said political leaders in Asia often find it difficult to discuss issues such as sexuality and drug use, and he urged governments to promote community and civil society participation in HIV-prevention efforts. At the meeting, experts also discussed ways to reduce the cost of antiretroviral drugs in Asia (VOA News, 2/16).

Political Will, Public Engagement Needed To Reach Vulnerable Groups, Commentary SaysVulnerable people, such as injection drug users, still are "on the outer edge of society" and have limited access to HIV prevention, treatment and support services, a Thai News Service commentary says. It will take political will, as well as commitment from individuals and advocates, to ensure that prevention efforts -- including education, condom distribution, sexual education, and voluntary testing and counseling -- reach all groups of people, according to the commentary. "Vigilant efforts to prevent new HIV infections are the most vital contributions responsible individuals, societies and governments can make to ensure the human rights of those at risk, as well as those living with HIV, are upheld," the commentary concludes (Thai News Service, 2/20).

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=35510

Meeting on AIDS Looks to Law Reform to Halt Discrimination, Abuse
By Ron Corben
Bangkok
16 February 2006

A meeting of United Nations AIDS officials, government representatives and activists in Thailand has urged Asian countries to reform laws to reduce the spread of the AIDS virus among marginalized groups such as sex workers and injecting drug users.
Currently eight million people live with HIV/AIDS in Asia, half of them in India. In the past year more than one million new HIV infections were reported in the region, with China recording almost 200 new cases a day.
At the three-day meeting in Thailand, which ended Thursday, UNAIDS director, Michel Sidibe, said law reform is needed to reduce discrimination against high-risk groups such as men who have sex with men and injecting drug users.
"It is legal and policy reform which is urgently needed to make sure that these issues could be addressed also from the perspective of the human rights standard," Sidibe said.
China says it has about 650,000 people living with AIDS. It has recently issued comprehensive regulations spelling out the rights and obligations of infected people in a bid to halt discrimination and improve the fight against the disease.
But Don Baxter, executive director for the Australian Federation of AIDS Organizations, says Asian countries often fail to adequately support marginalized groups with a high proportion of AIDS carriers.
Baxter says governments need to have genuine community and civil society participation in their responses. He says political leaders in Asia are often reluctant to openly discuss issues such as homosexuality and drug use.
"Many Asian and Pacific Governments - particularly the former communist governments - are just not used to opposition - whether it's behind closed doors or in public," Baxter said. "So that's certainly a major lesson or direction Asian and Pacific governments need to move in - listening to people actually affected by HIV." Asia's tough stance on drug users and the trafficking of opiates often means programs such as promoting needle exchange to avoid the spread of AIDS among injecting drug users get little support.
The meeting in Thailand also looked at methods of lowering the cost in Asia of anti-retroviral drugs needed to slow the progress of the virus or prevent mother to child transmission.
The meeting, attended by over 200 delegates from over 20 countries, was organized by UNAIDS as a step towards achieving its goal of universal access to AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010.
The goal was set after G8 group of industrialized nations pledged $50 billion to developing countries to deal with the pandemic.
The United Nations General Assembly is due to meet in July in a special session to assess the program's progress since its launch in 2001.

http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-02-16-voa24.cfmhttp://www.voanews.com/english/figleaf/ramfilegenerate.cfm?filepath=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Evoanews%2Ecom%2Fmediaassets%2Fenglish%2F2006%5F02%2FAudio%2Frm%2FCorben%5FAIDS%5F021606%2Erm
http://www.voanews.com/mediaassets/english/2006_02/Audio/rm/Corben_AIDS_021606.rm