Technical Assistance to the Greater Mekong Subregion for HIV/AIDS Vulnerability and Risk Reduction among Ethnic Minority Groups through Communication Strategies

This technical assistance (TA) aims to reduce the vulnerability to, and risk of, HIV/AIDS transmission among ethnic minority groups through communication strategies. The TA focuses on ethnic minorities that live in cross-border areas in the GMS. An Asian Development Bank (ADB) regional TA (RETA), begun in 2002 and completed in December 2004, dealt with HIV/AIDS in GMS areas. The proposed TA will build on the achievements of RETA 6083 by (i) scaling-up to address the increased risk of HIV/AIDS due to human trafficking and drug abuse; and (ii) scaling-out to include new ethnic groups prioritized by government partners.5 The TA will build on ADB’s past work in strengthening the human capital of ethnic minorities, including addressing their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, and will coordinate with ongoing TAs on human trafficking and drug abuse in reducing structural vulnerabilities, for example citizenship and land tenure, among ethnic minorities in cross-border areas of the GMS.