Publications

As the world marks 25 years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, The State of the World’s Children calls for brave and fresh thinking to address age-old problems that still affect the most disadvantaged children. In particular, the report calls for innovation – and for the best and brightest solutions coming from communities to be taken to scale to benefit every child. The Convention itself was an innovation that recognized children as people with rights that must be respected equally to the rights of adults. It has helped drive remarkable progress for millions of children, but far too many are still being left behind. The report highlights how new ways of solving problems – often emerging from local communities and young people themselves – can help us overcome age-old inequities that prevent millions of children from surviving, thriving and making the most of their potential.

In the Trans Pacific partnership Agreement (TPPA) negotiations, the United States has proposed expanded patent protections that will likely impact the affordability of medicines in TPPA partners. This includes antiretroviral (ARV) medicines used in the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Vietnam has the lowest GDP per capita of the 12 countries participating in the TPPA negotiations. Using the current Vietnamese patent regime as our base case, we analyse the potential impact of alternative patent regimes on access to ARVs in Vietnam.

HIV epidemic in Viet Nam is still in HIV concentrated epidemic: High HIV prevalence among people who inject drugs (PWID), female sex workers (FSW), and men who have sex with men (MSM) and low HIV prevalence among pregnant women and military recruits. HIV prevalence tends to decrease in high-risk populations and low-risk populations. Prevention and intervention programs effectively reduce HIV prevalence and risk behavior and increase preventive behavior among populations.

The Investment Case analyses Viet Nam’s HIV epidemic and response, examines the impact and implications of various future scenarios, and establishes priorities that aim to make the response more effective, efficient and sustainable, toward the global goal of Ending AIDS by 2030.

The Nauru Family Health and Support Study aimed at obtaining reliable information on violence against women (VAW), its characteristics, and consequences. Although the study initially sought to collect a nationally representative sample of women aged 15-64, due to a low response rate, its findings are derived from a reduced sample of eligible women in a small group of districts. The findings of this exploratory study, however, provide a preliminary understanding around VAW in the country and serve as a limited evidence base to create awareness campaigns and education programs around gender roles and VAW. This exploratory study also provides important learning for future quantitative studies on VAW in Nauru.

The FSM Family Health and Safety Study (FHSS) aimed to gauge the prevalence and types of violence against women (VAW) in the FSM. The study also sought to document the associations between partner violence and the wellbeing of the woman and her children, as well as to identify risk and protective factors for partner violence. The FSM Department of Health and Social Affairs (DHSA) carried out the study with financial support from the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and with financial and technical support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The methodology of the study is based on the WHO Multi-Country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence Against Women, which combines quantitative and qualitative components and adheres to international ethical and safety standards.

Violence against women is a serious and reprehensible human rights violation that directly and indirectly affects the health, livelihood and opportunities of women in Myanmar. Civil society actors, government authorities and international agencies increasingly recognize the extent and scope of this issue across the country. However, there has been little rigorous research conducted on this topic among women in Myanmar's general population. This qualitative study on violence against women helps to fill the gap on what is known about women's experiences of abuse and violence by their husband and other men. This briefing paper provides a summary of the research finding from the full report.

The Belau Family Health and Safety Study (FHSS) aimed at obtaining reliable data on the prevalence and types of violence against women (VAW) in Palau. The study also sought to document the associations between partner violence and health issues and other outcomes, as well as to identify risk and protective factors for partner violence. The Ministry of Health carried out the study with financial support from the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and financial and technical support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The establishment of the ASEAN Task Force on AIDS (ATFOA) in 1993 has provided the mechanism to operationalise the initial commitment made by the ASEAN Leaders during the 4th ASEAN Summit in 1992. To further foster the political commitments on HIV and AIDS, ATFOA spearheaded the development of the ASEAN Declaration of Commitment. To operationalise the Declaration, ATFOA proposed and got approval for a number of key initiatives that support the Declaration strategies, including the documentation of good practices, innovations, and other cross-cutting themes in HIV and AIDS that became the basis of this publication.

This report presents the key findings and recommendations of the review of Myanmar's legal framework and its effect on access to health and HIV prevention and treatment services for people living with HIV and key populations. The review was conducted through partnership of UNAIDS, UNDP, and Pyoe Pin in the period August-December 2013, in consultation with the National AIDS Programme.