Publications
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Resource | Publications
The Asia-Pacific region as a whole has had considerable success with the MDGs, particularly in reducing levels of poverty. Nevertheless, the region is off track when it comes to hunger, health and sanitation – and even in areas such as poverty a number of countries are lagging some way behind. After the target date of 2015, there will therefore be a significant ‘unfinished agenda’. The region also faces many emerging threats including rising inequality and unplanned urbanization, along with climate change and environmental pressures such as pollution and water scarcity.
This report presents some perspectives on the post-2015 development agenda as part of the system-wide discussion initiated by the Secretary-General. Being much less locked into traditional development pathways, Asia and the Pacific region has a clear window of opportunity to foster change. The perspectives and aspirations of this region for a new United Nations Development Agenda beyond 2015 should be of much interest to the global community.
Resource | Publications
This report is a guide for policymakers, treatment providers and advocates interested in learning more about laboratory-based and point-of-care viral load HIV diagnostic products, and point-of-care CD4 HIV diagnostic products.
The report includes: information on how routine viral load (VL) monitoring improves HIV treatment outcomes; information on why the use of VL monitoring is particularly important for confirming treatment failure and for ensuring prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT); decision guide for purchasers, and information on how to evaluate the use of point-of-care (POC) and lab-based technologies in different contexts; technical specifications and pricing information for 13 diagnostic tools.
Resource | Publications
The SAARC region has a low level of HIV infection, but the sheer numbers of people living with HIV (PLHIV) is quite high, estimated at 2.57 million, with the largest burden shared by three countries: India 2.4 million, Pakistan 98,000, and Nepal 64,000. The epidemic is concentrated in certain geographical pockets (six states of India, large cities of Pakistan, and large cities and bordering districts of Nepal) and among key affected population, such as sex workers, men who have sex with men (MSM), people who inject drugs (PWID), and transgender people.
The key commitment of the First SAARC Strategy was to urgently scale-up responses towards achieving the goal of universal access to comprehensive prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010. Though there have been significant improvements, these have not been uniform across all countries and there are pockets where HIV prevalence is on the increase. The current strategy is an effort to strengthen the regional responses based on lessons learned from the outcomes of the first SAARC Strategy on HIV/AIDS.
Resource | Publications
This report was commissioned by the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC), with the support of Australian Aid, for the purpose of developing a better understanding of drug policy advocacy activity in 10 Asian countries: Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. It aims to achieve three goals:
- Identify organisations engaged in harm reduction and drug policy advocacy
- Identify gaps and challenges in harm reduction and drug policy advocacy that remain to be addressed
- Develop recommendations for prioritising new activities in harm reduction and drug policy advocacy
Resource | Publications
Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs) are diverse; political regimes, cultural norms and languages vary widely. The forms of sex work undertaken across the Pacific are as diverse as the social, economic and political contexts in which they are situated. Reliable information on sex work in PICTs is fragmented and incomplete. However, characteristic forms of sex work include: paid sex with seafarers, women boarding boats, and the provision of sex to affluent locals, tourists, business travellers or migrant workers. Sex work typically occurs around ports and transit hubs, in development or construction enclaves and near military installations. Most sex work is informally organised and sex workers operate independently, although in Guam and Palau sex work is managed from within other entertainment establishments. Significant levels of sex work have been documented in Port Moresby, Honiara, Suva, Guam and Saipan, but various forms of sex work take place throughout the region.
Resource | Publications
It is well known that without sufficient street networks provision of basic services is virtually impossible. Recognizing the importance of the urban form, in 2004 UN-Habitat introduced the Monitoring Urban Inequities Programme (MUIP) that aims to collect and analyze crucial information on the layout and planning of cities. Under the MUIP, a community profile was designed in association with other modules of an Urban Inequity Survey (UIS). The community profile, supported by GIS, provides crucial information on the urban form, including the street network as a key element of public space. It also collects qualitative information through focus groups that reflect people’s opinions on infrastructure, social networks, security, etc.
Resource | Publications
Before the scale-up of the international response to the AIDS pandemic, community responses in developing countries played a crucial role in providing services and care for those affected. This study is the first comprehensive, mixed-method evaluation of the impact of that response. The evaluation finds that community response can be effective at increasing knowledge of HIV, promoting social empowerment, increasing access to and use of HIV services, and even decreasing HIV incidence, all through the effective mobilization of limited resources. By effectively engaging with this powerful community structure, future HIV and AIDS programs can ensure that communities continue to contribute to the global response to HIV and AIDS.
Resource | Publications
The HIV surveillance system in Hong Kong comprises 5 main programmes to provide a detailed description of the local HIV/AIDS situation. They are (a) voluntary HIV/AIDS case-based reporting; (b) HIV prevalence surveys; (c) sexually transmitted infections (STI) caseload statistics; (d) behavioral studies; and (e) HIV-1 genotyping studies. The data is collected, analyzed and disseminated regularly by the surveillance team of Special Preventive Programme (SPP), Centre for Health Protection (CHP), Department of Health (DH). At present, the latest HIV/AIDS statistics are released at quarterly intervals at press media briefings and in electronic format (http://www.aids.gov.hk). Data from various sources are compiled annually and released in this report.
Resource | Publications
The Maldives Health Statistics is published with the main objective of providing easy access to up-to-date comprehensive statistical information on various aspects of health. The publication is divided into several subsections. This publication also includes updates and revisions of the data published in previous years.
Resource | Publications
Social Exclusion on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation (SOGI) is complex and may not be readily acknowledged by authorities. Other factors that can influence exclusion are poverty, illiteracy, lack of awareness about social protection mechanisms and how these can be accessed, some religious practices, cultural norms about males and females, husbands and wives, and families, and type of occupation (such as sex work); however SOGI‐based exclusion appears to be a major cross‐cutting feature that cannot be disregarded. Many LGBT are mobile and even while living together with a partner in a stable relationship, they are not officially and legally recognized as partners, a husband‐wife team, a couple, or as a family.
The study makes recommendations for policy‐makers, program planners and project implementation to consider Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) as crosscutting factors that can influence participation, delivery of social services, and access to education, work opportunities and justice. Awareness and Education activities on SOGI support for informal groups and associations, as well as areas for further research are recommended.