This report presents the results of the study entitled Discourses and Representations of HIV in Fiji and their Impact on the Experience of People Living with HIV and AIDS. This study was conducted in collaboration with the Reproductive Health Clinics of Suva, Lautoka and Labasa and the Fiji Network for People Living with HIV and AIDS (FJN+) between November 2007 and December 2008.

The Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health (APCOM) are launching a significant policy brief titled, ‘More than the virus: HIV prevention and men who have sex with men living with HIV’. The launch coincides with the XIX International AIDS Conference, held in Washington DC, from July 22-27th.

Download this publication

This Regional Legal Reference Resource - Protective Laws related to HIV, MSM and Transgender People in South Asia (Reference Resource) is an output of the South Asian Roundtable on Legal and Policy Barriers to HIV held in Kathmandu in November 2011 (South Asian Roundtable). This Reference Resource documents key protective laws focused on HIV, men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people in five countries in South Asia.

In South Asia, opioid use and in particular heroin use is on the increase. The diffusion of injecting drug use is causing concern in the region (UNODC and MSJE, 2004). Heroin and other opioid dependence cause significant morbidity and mortality; it is a chronic and enduring condition that often requires long-term treatment and care. An adequate access to a range of treatment options should be offered to respond to the varying needs of people with heroin/opioid dependence.

The project “Prevention of transmission of HIV among drug users in SAARC countries” (Project RAS/H13) is executed by UNODC as part of a joint UN initiative between UNODC, UNAIDS and WHO in South Asia. The overall goal of this project is to reduce the spread of HIV among drug using populations in SAARC countries. In doing so, the project assists governments and communities to scale-up comprehensive prevention and care programs for drug users, especially injecting drug users (IDUs), and their regular sex partners.

To increase the momentum and effectiveness of the HIV response in Asia and the Pacific, UNFPA, UNAIDS and the Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers (APNSW) joined hands to organize, in collaboration with governments, UNAIDS cosponsors, national and local sex worker organizations, and civil society organizations, the first Asia and the Pacific Regional Consultation on HIV and Sex Work in October 2010 in Pattaya, Thailand. This Regional Consultation, which was the result of an extensive and participatory process spanning over a year, brought together some 140 participants from eight countries in the region as well as selected national, regional and global resource persons that have experience or influence in the area of HIV and sex work. These resource persons included representatives from regional community networks, sex worker organizations, NGOs, researchers, government organizations, and United Nations (UN) agencies. Country teams comprising representatives from national AIDS authorities, Ministries of Health, Ministries of Justice or police, sex worker communities and the UN system participated from Cambodia, China, Fiji, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, and Thailand.

Reliable information about the number of people at high risk of HIV infection is increasingly recognized as one of the most critical pieces of information required by public health planners to understand and respond to the spread of HIV. A Focus on most-at-risk
populations (MARPs), including quantifying the size of these populations, is particularly relevant in the context of concentrated or low level HIV epidemics

Summary of country mapping exercise: Regional Consultation and Planning Workshop Use of TRIPS Flexibilities to Access Affordable ARVs in Asia. Bangkok, Thailand 29-31 May (2012)

Presentation on International Trade Rules and Access to Treatment (an Overview) by Tenu Avafia, HIV/AIDS Practice, UNDP at Regional Consultation and Planning Workshop “Use of TRIPS Flexibilities to Access Affordable ARVs in Asia” Bangkok 29-31 May 2012

Presentation on Patent Oppositions and Strict Patentability Criteria: What it Means for Access to Treatment? by Prathibha Sivasubramanian at Regional Consultation and Planning Workshop “Use of TRIPS Flexibilities to Access Affordable ARVs in Asia” Bangkok 29-31 May 2012