National 5 (Spotlight Weekly)

A Common Battle

A high-level regional conference urges a common approach in the fight against HIV/AIDS in South Asia

By KESHAB POUDEL

At a time when the international community is expressing increasing concern over the rising incidence of HIV/AID in South Asia, top officials from all the countries of the region, along with the chiefs of UNICEF and UNAIDS, spent two days in the capital discussing ways of dealing with the challenge.

Hosted by His Majesty's Government of Nepal in partnership with UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia and UNAIDS, the participants shared information and ideas on effective ways of fighting against HIV/AIDS in South Asia.

In 2001, the AIDS epidemic claimed three million lives. An estimated five million people, 800,000 of them children, were infected. Although 20 million people have died since the start of epidemic in 1981, there also exist tools for HIV prevention and treatment for those living with AIDS. According to the organizers, many countries have shown that effective responses to prevent new HIV infection are possible.

Although South Asian countries like Nepal and India still have a low prevalence of HIV/AIDS, except in some areas, there is enough to create a serious epidemic in the region. If current infection trends continue, South Asian countries can become locked in a vicious circle of worsening socio-economic conditions and a reversing of positive trends in infant and child mortality rates.

Although it was planned a year ago, this was the first high-level conference convened in Kathmandu following the announcement of the cease-fire by the government and the Maoists.

"The countries of South Asia have shown that they will work to prevent HIV/AIDS. As a region of a large number of young girls and women, steps must be taken to provide access to information and services to avoid infection," said Carol Bellamy, executive director of UNICEF, addressing the press.

Participated by a high-level UN team including Bellamy, UNAIDS Executive Director Dr. Peter Piot, the special envoy of the UN Secretary General for HIV/AIDS in Asia, Dr. Nafis Sadik, the two-day conference called on all concerned parties to implement effective programs.

The conference also stressed the need to shift from mainly awareness-raising initiatives to holistic, comprehensive programming, geared toward reduction in vulnerability and risk taking behavior and to promoting safe behaviors, and increasing the targeted intervention.

The delegates discussed the Kathmandu Call for Accelerated Action Against HIV/AIDS for immediate implementation of an accelerated, broader action agenda for HIV/AIDS prevention and care in the region to meet the goals and targets set at the UN Special Sessions and modalities for monitoring progress made in meeting the goals and targets set at UNGASS in June 2001 for HIV/AIDS prevention and care, and those related to the HIV/AIDS prevention and care in the outcome document of the UN General Assembly Special Session on Children, A World Fit for Children.

As all South Asian countries have several socio-economic factors - such as poverty, low levels of literacy, gender inequality and increased mobility - which make people vulnerable to a large-scale epidemic, one cannot rule out the possibility of a major AIDS crisis in the region.

Despite the efforts of the concerned governments, non-governmental organizations and civil society, a large number of people are yet to know about ways of protecting themselves from HIV/AIDS. "We are implementing programs along with the NGOs and civil society to prevent the HIV/AIDS infection," said Minister for Health Dr. Upendra Devkota. "The regional conference helps us to identify the common strategy to prevent the spread of disease."

As the countries of South Asia are entering into a dangerous phase of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the discussions among the policy makers, UN agencies, civil society and other youth can be expected to pave the way to finding effective prevention methods.