On 26 March an Independent Commission handed over a report on AIDS in Asia to the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon at the UN headquarters in New York.

The report, entitled “Redefining AIDS in Asia – Crafting an effective response”,  was prepared by nine leading economists, scientists, policy-makers and civil society representatives from across the region under the leadership of Professor C. Rangarajan, Chief Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister of India.

The report highlights shared characteristics of the epidemic across Asia, where the epidemics are mainly driven by unprotected paid sex, sharing injecting equipment by people who inject drugs, and unprotected sex between men; urges Asian government to pragmatically focus HIV prevention programmes on the sex industry and on drug use; and calls for national political leadership to overcome structural and social factors such as criminalization and marginalization of certain groups; human rights violations; and discrimination, which hinder effective national responses.

The Commission’s work is based on an 18-month study of the Asian epidemic and responses, five sub-regional and regional consultations, meetings with more than 30 experts and 200 individuals, governmental and civil society groups, and a review of 5,000 published and unpublished studies. The project was initiated by UNAIDS to spur engagement in AIDS issues by non-AIDS sectors.

Execute Summary of the report can be downloaded here
Full version of the report can be downloaded here

For more information please contact:
Sophie Barton-Knott│bartonknotts@unaids.org│tel. +41 22 791 1697
Riikka Lamminmaki | lamminmakir@unaids.org | tel. +84 4 734 2824