Asia and Pacific’s Resources on HIV/AIDS

  Regional Networks

• "3 by 5 Initiative" — WHO/UNAIDS and other partners
  
• Asia Pacific Network for People Living with HIV/AIDS — APN+
  APN+ was born when 40 PLWHA representing 8 different countries within the region met in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in February 1994. Many of us in this meeting experienced tremendous pressure both from our governments and society. In addition, almost everyone felt that Asia and the Pacific region were always neglected in terms of treatment and care of PLWHA. The newly formed network aimed at combating the situation more collectively and positively. The secretariat was set up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, after a meeting with the committee of representatives in Bangkok, Thailand, June 1994. APN+ was restructured in September 1995 at the Chiang Mai meeting. Five more countries in the region were included. This increased its strength to 13 countries. The Secretariat was being moved to Singapore with various working groups handling various projects. In February 1996, APN+ country key personnel met in Singapore for a workplan meeting. During this meeting a steering committee was formed.
  
• Asia-AIDS
  
• Asian Harm Reduction Network — AHRN
  The Asian Harm Reduction Network (AHRN) is the first project of its kind. A global information and support network, created to link and support the courageous people and programs working in Asia to stop HIV among injecting drug users. Hundreds of individuals and organizations participate in the network and AHRN is endorsed by UNAIDS, the World Health Organization and many governments who see harm reduction and networking as key approaches in the fight against HIV/AIDS. AHRN is run by programs for programs. The network links and support programs with a range of services, including a resource centre, newsletter, special reports training programs and technical assistance. AHRN's main goal is to promote activities for preventing HIV and other harms associated with drug injecting.
  
• PWHA-Net
  An email-based forum aims to help participants to get to know the PWHA networks and allows networks and PWHAs to discuss shared issues, and plan common strategies and actions.
  
• SEA-AIDS
  Regional forum for HIV/AIDS in Asia and Pacific.
• Sea-aids forum: sea-aids@healthdev.net
  
• Sex-work
  A forum which cconcerned with organizational issues facing sex work projects and increasing knowledge and understanding about sex work, sexual health and HIV.
  
• Stigma-AIDS
  A specialised e-mail forum focusing on stigma in Africa and run a series of structured debates, starting with defining stigma in the cultural context and then moving discussions through various priorities for research.

• Pinoy-RH
  Pinoy RH is an electronic forum on sexual and reproductive health in the Philippines. Pinoy RH aims to address issues relating to reproductive health, such as family planning, maternal mortality, unsafe abortion, STDs and HIV/AIDS. It would also allow members to share ideas and experiences with other members and discuss issues that are important to the members' programs. The exchange of information and experiences could help reduce duplication of efforts, and would benefit the larger community. Pinoy RH is for the Filipino community, and so messages may be either in English or Filipino, or both. Pinoy RH was initially envisioned by a core group of organizations involved in information technology initiatives. The core group members are the Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC), Remedios AIDS Foundation, Health Action Information Network (HAIN), UNAIDS, and Ford Foundation.

• HIV-News-Asia-Pacific
  News service covering HIV/AIDS press coverage in Asia and the Pacific. Monitoring over twenty different print and electronic news sources on a daily basis and put together a bi-weekly bulletin for distribution.

  BTS
  The forum provides a visible and accessible area for all, including government representatives and UN officials. Issues raised through forum contributions will be synthesized and clustered into regional and/or thematic priorities.

• Gender-AIDS
  Facilitates linkages and information sharing between people living with HIV or AIDS groups, women's organizations and other organizations working or interested in the area of gender and HIV/AIDS.

• UNESCO Bangkok HIV/AIDS Clearing House
  This listserv will provide you with the latest information, website updates, new publications, teaching/learning materials and various resources acquired and added to the databases of the UNESCO Bangkok Clearing House; news and resources available in the global UNESCO HIV/AIDS Clearinghouses network as well as news and calendar of activities of the UNESCO Bangkok HIV/AIDS Programme. It will also serve as a platform for sharing resources and information on HIV/AIDS preventive education and raising issues and discussions dealing with how information can better support the programmes and activities on HIV/AIDS preventive education and how they can be made more readily accessible.

• UNAIDS XV International AIDS Conference Information and Coordination Workspace
  This on-line working group has been established to facilitate co-ordination of preparatory efforts of UNAIDS and its cosponsors for the XV International Conference on AIDS, Bangkok Thailand, 11-16 July 2004.

• UNAIDS South East Asia and Pacific InterCountry Team — SEAPICTNet

  SEAPICTnet is an email based information service aimed at strengthening information exchange around HIV/AIDS within the UN system in South East Asia and the Pacific. The forum aims to increase the opportunities for co-ordination between agencies working in this region by providing an internal communication channel for exchanging information such as: Events - upcoming meetings, conferences and activities at both country and regional levels. Reports - disseminating final and draft reports for information and comment Best Practice - identifying examples of best practice and local response. The SEAPICTnet list will fill the gap between the more public forums and offer a neutral space for UN agencies and key partners to share a greater range of information and ideas.

Conferences

• 15^th Conference on the Reduction of Drug Related Harm, Melbourne, Australia
  
• 14^th Conference on the Reduction of Drug Related Harm, Chiang Mai, Thailand
  
• XIV International Conference on AIDS, Barcelona, 2002
  
• The sixth International Congress on AID in Asia and the Pacific, 2001
  
• XV International AIDS Conference

Regional Websites

• UNDP South East Asia HIV & Development Programme
  
• YOUANDAIDS, The HIV/AIDS portal for Asia Pacific
  
• Seven sisters website
  The Coalition of Asia Pacific Regional Network on HIV/AIDS (the Seven Sisters) is a broad-based alliance bringing together seven regional networks: AIDS Society of Asia Pacific (ASAP), Asia Pacific Council of AIDS Service Organisations (APCASO), Asia Pacific Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (APN+), Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers (APNSW), Asia Pacific Rainbow (APR), Asian Harm Reduction Network (AHRN), and Co-ordination of Action Research on AIDS and Mobility in Asia (CARAM Asia). The inter-network discussions were initiated during the 5th ICAAP in Kuala Lumpur in 1999. After 18 months of dialogue the Coalition was formalised in February 2001 at Kuala Lumpur. These networks have tremendous experience and expertise in initiating and implementing programmes dealing with affected communities and vulnerable populations such as drug users, sex workers, transgender communities, men who have sex with men (MSM), HIV+ people and mobile populations. The respective networks have built upon partnerships with the sectors mentioned, to ensure appropriate and effective responses at grassroots level. The experiences reflect that there are various cross-cutting issues and concerns where common and co-ordinated actions can be evolved for effecting change.
  
  
• The Asia Pacific Council of AIDS Service Organisations — APCASO
  The Asia Pacific Council of AIDS Service Organisations (APCASO) is a network of non-government and community-based organisations that provide HIV/AIDS services within the Asia and the Pacific region. CBOs have been involved in the HIV/AIDS epidemic at local and global levels and are one of the most distinctive features of the response to the epidemic. CBOs are based in and are made up of people from the most affected communities.
  Furthermore, CBOs are able to reflect and anticipate needs at the local level, which give them a unique perspective and function in the formulation of effective and appropriate responses to HIV/AIDS. In this light, APCASO was formally organised in 1992. APCASO is active at the global level through links with regional networks and other regional bodies; and at local levels through the work of its national focal points, members of the Council of Representatives (COR).
  
• CARAM
  CARAM Asia's involvement in the region and through its participatory action research initiatives on AIDS and mobility reveals that migrant workers are seen as economic tools, policies tend to be developed to control the migrant worker and migrant workers are marginalized in various HIV/AIDS programmes. The initiatives and interventions to reduce HIV/AIDS vulnerability in the migration process must begin with recognizing the migrant worker as a human person with needs, feelings, warmth, rights and dignity. Equally there is a need to work collectively towards creating an enabling environment at all stages of migration with the migrant worker.

  APNSW
  The NSWP was founded in 1991 as an informal alliance which participates in independently financed projects in partnership with member organizations and technical support agencies. The Network has recently established a secretariat, which was based in Cape Town in 2002 and moved to Rio de Janeiro in 2003. A board has been established to take the network as a legally constituted international organisation to promote sex workers health and human rights.

• Asian Development Bank
  ADB is a multilateral development finance institution dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific. Established in 1966, we are now owned by 63 members, mostly from the region.

• The Global Fund
  The Global Fund was created to finance a dramatic turn-around in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. These 3 diseases kill more than 6 million people each year, and the numbers are growing. This massive scaling-up of resources is already supporting aggressive interventions against all three. By funding the work of new and existing programs, we can save millions of lives, stop the spread of disease and halt the devastation to families, communities and economies around the world.

• Asian Business Coalition on AIDS — ABC on AIDS
  The Asian Business Coalition on AIDS (ABC on AIDS) is a regional partnership between companies that aim to prevent and control HIV/AIDS in the workplace and not-for-profit organizations that provide technical services on HIV/AIDS, such as training.

• AFAO
  AFAO is the peak non-government organisation representing Australia's community-based response to HIV/AIDS. AFAO's work includes education, policy, advocacy and international projects.

• Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development — AFPPD
  The Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD) is a coordinating body of National Committees of Parliamentarians on Population and Development and Parliamentary Committees dealing with population and development issues working to generate support and perpetuate cooperation among Asian parliamentarians in the area of population and development, and related fields. The Asian Forum is committed to informing, educating and motivating parliamentarians on the linkages between increasing population and issues such as reproductive health, family planning, food security, water resources, sustainable development, environment, ageing, urbanisation, migration, HIV/AIDS, and gender equality.

• Family Health International — FHI
  Formed in 1971, Family Health International (FHI) is among the largest and most established nonprofit organizations active in international public health with a mission to improve lives worldwide through research, education, and services in family health. We manage research and field activities in more than 70 countries to meet the public health needs of some of the world's most vulnerable people. We work with a wide variety of partners including governmental and nongovernmental organizations, research institutions, community groups, and the private sector.

• International HIV/AIDS Alliance
  The International HIV/AIDS Alliance (the Alliance) is an international development non-governmental organisation which was set up in 1993 by a consortium of international donors. The Alliance was established to respond to the need for a specialist, professional intermediary organisation which would work in effective partnership with non-governmental and community-based organisations in developing countries, as well as with national governments, private and public donors and the UN system.

• HIV/AIDS Information Service

• AIDSMAP
  This site is produced by NAM in collaboration with the British HIVAssociation and the International HIV/AIDS Alliance. Initial funding was generously provided by St. Stephen's AIDS Trust. NAM is a community-based information provider based in the UK whose sole aim is to combat the AIDS epidemic through accurate, accessible and up-to-date information. NAM produces extensive information on treatments, both in book form and as a searchable database on this website. NAM also has a range of publications on organizations as well as an online international resources database, searchable in six languages.

• Epidemiological Fact Sheets on HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections

• U.S. Census Bureau - International Program Centers - HIV/AIDS Surveillance

• Asian AIDS/HIV Information Archive