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Regional Representative for Asia-Pacific
United Nations
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

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HIV/AIDS and Human Rights

HIV/AIDS poses a serious threat to the Asia-Pacific region. A response to HIV/AIDS that tackles stigma and discrimination and other human rights issues, can assist in decreasing vulnerability and ensuring an effective response to tackling the virus.

The Regional Representative for Asia-Pacific of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has launched a project on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights in Asia Pacific.

With UNDP, UNODC, ILO, UNAIDS, UNICEF and the Asia-Pacific Network for People Living with HIV/AIDS (APN+) OHCHR is bringing together experts across Asia-Pacific, including people living with HIV-AIDS, to develop recommendations on how governments in the Asia-Pacific region could better address the human rights issues relating to HIV/AIDS. A number of background papers on sub-regions, countries and high-risk groups, as well as a series of national level consultations involving governments and civil society, will help to shape the draft recommendations. Several advisory groups across the region will further comment on the draft recommendations before they are finalized at the regional expert meeting in Bangkok 23-24 March 2004.

The national consultations and the March expert meeting will also identify practical ways to integrate the recommendations into advocacy, training and guidance given to governments, to support their efforts in tackling HIV-AIDS. The background papers and national and regional meetings will also seek to raise awareness and understanding of the patterns of human rights issues relating to HIV-AIDS in Asia-Pacific and focus on the importance of protecting and promoting human rights in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

OHCHR is seeking financial support for this project. Funding is primarily sought to cover the costs of participation of experts in the expert meeting in March 2004. Participants in the meeting will include people from South, East, North, and South East Asia and the Pacific region. They will represent a wide variety of vulnerable groups including people living with HIV/AIDS, injecting drug users, male and female sex workers, men who have sex with men, children, women, mobile populations and ethnic minorities.

View the project document

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Regional Representative for Asia-Pacific, UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Room 601, 6th Floor, United Nations Building, Rajadamnern nok Road, Bangkok, 10200, Thailand
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