At a session of the ASEAN Summit, the ASEAN Heads of Government today adopted the 7th ASEAN Summit Declaration on HIV/AIDS and a four-year ASEAN Work Programme on HIV/AIDS (2002-2005) to combat the spread of AIDS in ASEAN countries. While prevention remains the foundation of both the Declaration and the Work Programme in curbing the region’s HIV/AIDS pandemic, treatment, care and support for those infected also feature prominently.
At the Summit in Brunei Darussalam, ASEAN Secretary-General, Rodolfo C. Severino Jr, said the Declaration’s strength is that it urges member governments to allocate resources to AIDS prevention.
“Leadership is also a key element as the work plan provides nations as well as donor agencies with guidance in planning, coordinating and implementing plans and activities, as well as identifying cost- and resource-sharing opportunities,” Mr Severino said.
“It is also an acknowledgement that we can effectively prevent a regional AIDS epidemic in Southeast Asia through strong leadership, political foresight and commitment, as well as partnership between NGOs, communities and governments.” Mr Severino said both the declaration and the four-year work programme were drafted following extensive consultations with affected communities, including those living with HIV/AIDS.
President of the Malaysian AIDS Council, Datin Marina Mahathir, said both the declaration and the work programme had already had a significant impact in that for the first time ASEAN sat together with NGOs to address the HIV/AIDS issue. “It has in some ways had a leapfrog effect in that this government-NGO consultation process also took place in all Member Countries as part of the process,” she said.
“Governments now understand that there needs to be a partnership with NGOs, and that some things are not achievable without NGOs, such as access vulnerable populations like injecting drug users”, she said. “And as far as we, the NGO community, are concerned, it is incumbent on us to implement the ASEAN work plan as well, not just the governments.”
He said that the ASEAN Work Programme on HIV/AIDS extended to all sectors, not just health, “Because AIDS doesn’t just kill people; it erodes productivity, depletes the workforce, discourages investment, undermines living standards, and weakens governments and communities.”
National level interventions remain the foundation of AIDS prevention, but regional efforts will maximise resources and results as well as help overcome obstacles. “The actions we take now will determine the course of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the future, he said.”
The ASEAN Task Force on AIDS (ATFOA) was established 1993, in response to the call of the 4th ASEAN Summit held in 1992, to strengthen regional coordination, build regional capacity and address cross border issues. The First ASEAN Work Programme on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control was implemented from 1995 to 2000.
UNAIDS estimates there were 1.6 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the ASEAN region by the end of 1999.
For further information contact:
Mr. M.C. Abad, Jr.
Assistant Director
Public Information Unit
ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta
Tel: 62 21 726 2991
[email protected]
Key points from the 7th ASEAN Summit Declaration on HIV/AIDS and the Second ASEAN Work Programme on HIV/AIDS (2002-2005):
· Regional networking - To coordinate and strengthen the network of sharing of information and research studies among ASEAN member countries.
· Access to drugs for People Living with AIDS - Develop a joint approach to exploring availability of affordable drugs for people living with AIDS (PLWAs), including negotiate for affordably priced essential drugs for treatment and prophylaxis of opportunistic infections, anti-retroviral drugs and essential testing reagents.
· Mobile communities - reduce the HIV/AIDS vulnerability of mobile communities caused by development-related mobility, and enhance national responses to improve systems of governance regarding development-related mobility. To build collaborative regional responses to reduce HIV/AIDS vulnerability and develop methods to build community, and increase access to appropriate care, treatment and information for mobile populations. Activities to include pre-departure, post-arrival and returnee re-integration training and education.
· Inter-sectoral collaboration – To use ASEAN fora to raise awareness of policy makers of the need for inter- and multi-sectoral collaboration involving government, the private sector, communities, the media, PLWAs, religious leaders and multilateral agencies.
· Research - to study the long-term demographic and economic impact of HIV/AIDS in the region, and training for policy makers and planners in conducting, and interpreting such studies.
· Religious leaders – to promote exchange of experiences regarding role of religious leaders in reducing vulnerability to HIV/AIDS transmission as well as care and support for People Living With AIDS (PLWAs), and creating a positive environment for PLWAs. To prepare and adopt an inter-faith statement by religious leaders to declare support and the need for compassionate treatment of PLWAs.
· Youth - education and life-skills program for youth that address those deficiencies that make youth vulnerable to HIV/AIDS transmission. These include providing youth with relevant information and education about STDs and HIV/AIDS, both in the formal school environment as well as the informal environment (peer education), exchange experiences and materials, and strengthen regional coordination networks.
· Condoms - Initiating or scaling up condom promotion and enhancing availability of quality condoms; cross-cultural study on condom promotion.
· Surveillance - improve HIV/AIDS surveillance, and share information on prevalence and projections, particularly for border regions.
· Care and support - improving access to appropriate treatment, care and support, ranging from institutional to community-based or home care, and involving capacity building in health and community sectors. Eliminating all forms of discrimination, and involving PLWAs in the process.
· Vertical (parent-to-child) transmission - Improve skills and techniques to reduce incidence of parent-to-child transmission.
· Drug-users - Training and awareness to reduce HIV/AIDS transmission among drug users, including intravenous drug users.
