What's New

Home to a quarter of the world’s population, SAARC countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, are now on the threshold of an unprecedented social and economic transformation. SAARC’s initiatives to foster peace and cooperation, innovative policies to encourage trade and investment and a leadership committed to positive change are playing a key role in unleashing the enormous potential of the region. Above all, the most important factor in the emergence of South Asia as a global force are its people. With progression and development, come questions of sustainability. Does progress mean countries of South Asia have a secure future?

Condoms are the only method of contraception to get protected from sexually transmitted infections, as well as pregnancy. Condom use for unprotected sex, has been recognized as one of the most successful prevention strategies for HIV infection worldwide, including in Sri Lanka. Condoms are widely available in the country and are distributed through retail outlets, STD clinics, family planning clinics and Public Health Midwives. The main objective of the situation assessment was to assess the availability and use of condoms in the context of HIV/AIDS, STIs situation, family planning & the factors affecting condom programming in Sri Lanka in terms of use, availability, distribution, challenges and most pressing needs for improving condom programming. The initiative had been supported by the United Nations Population Fund.

The Global Fund partnership brings together a myriad of strengths: finances; technical expertise; the experience and knowledge of communities affected by HIV, tuberculosis and malaria; innovation; and a capacity for constant evolution. The partners who comprise the Global Fund come with diverse abilities and points of view, yet they share a determination to serve people, to strive for social justice, and to achieve impact against HIV, TB and malaria and ultimately end the epidemics. This report delivers a summary of the impact and results the Global Fund partnership was able to achieve by 2015, showing cumulative progress since the Global Fund was created in 2002. It is a collective effort, combining the strong contributions made by governments, civil society, the private sector and people affected by HIV, TB and malaria.

The world has halted and reversed the spread of HIV. The epidemic has been forced into decline. New HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths have fallen dramatically since the peak of the epidemic. Now the response is going one step further—ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. In 2014, 36.9 million people were living with HIV. The number of people living with HIV continues to increase, in large part because more people globally are accessing antiretroviral therapy and as a result are living longer, healthier lives. As of June 2015, 15.8 million people were accessing treatment. At the same time, even though new HIV infections have declined, there is still an unacceptably high number of new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths occurring each year. In 2014, around 2 million people were newly infected with HIV and 1.2 million people died of AIDS-related illnesses.

Statistical Yearbook for Asia and the Pacific 2015 - facts and trends at the outset of the 2030 Development Agenda, which provides a first snapshot overview of development trends aligned with the new  2030  Agenda  for  Sustainable Development. This information will help to ensure better, more informed decision-making and will directly support the efforts of governments, development partners, and the people of Asia and the Pacific to successfully implement the ambitious goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda.

Statistical Yearbook for Asia and the Pacific 2015 - facts and trends at the outset of the 2030 Development Agenda, which provides a first snapshot overview of development trends aligned with the new  2030  Agenda for  Sustainable Development. This information will help to ensure better, more informed decision-making and will directly support the efforts of governments, development partners, and the people of Asia and the Pacific to successfully implement the ambitious goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda.

Thailand has joined the commitment to the 2011 UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV to prevent and control the AIDS epidemic and pursue the strategy of 3 Zeroes: (1) Zero HIV new infection; (2) Zero AIDS death; and (3) Zero AIDS stigma and discrimination. The Thailand National Strategic Plan of HIV (2014‐16) has set the 2016 targets to reduce new HIV infection by two‐third, peri‐natal transmission rate less than 2%, AIDS related deaths reduced by half, and discrimination to key populations and people living with HIV reduced by half. The National AIDS Committee (NAC) further approved the policy of ending AIDS epidemic in Thailand by 2030 as the national priority on November 28, 2014, and directed all related agencies at the national and subnational level to mobilize efforts to achieving the objectives. In addition, Thailand has developed key measures and the operational plan for 2015‐19 to support the ending AIDS policy. The measures have applied strategies of test and treat regardless of CD4 level with the focus to most affected areas and populations.

HIV/AIDS takes an enormous physical toll on those infected by the virus as well as those who care for them. However, the psychological toll of the epidemic is just as significant. The psychological and social effects of HIV/AIDS are magnified in young people. Children and adolescents are an ever-growing part of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In 2004, an estimated 2.2 million children under the age of 15 were living with HIV.

Young people aged 10 to 24 in Asia and the Pacific account for thirty-five percent of new HIV infections in the region. Many young people face difficulties in accessing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information, commodities, and services because of the compounding issues that they face. Moreover, many existing HIV programs catering to young people do not always include SRH services or link them to relevant youth-friendly SRH services.  Youth LEAD‘s report, "Our Rights Matter Too: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Young Key Populations in Asia and the Pacific", provides an overview of the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) needs, issues, and priorities of young key populations (YKP) in Asia and the Pacific. The report addresses the gaps in knowledge on the SRHR needs of #YKP in the region, offers recommendations based on a regional study, and contributes essential information for policy and advocacy efforts.

UN Women has developed twelve Flagship Programming Initiatives (FPIs) to further deepen its programming and achieve transformative results for gender equality and women’s empowerment. FPIs are high-impact, scalable programmes that will carry the bulk of UN Women’s growth. They build on and supplement, not replace, UN Women’s ongoing programming work. All FPIs adopt a human rights-based approach by strengthening the voice of women and girls to remove structural barriers for gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE). Each FPI is guided by international human rights treaties and contributes towards achieving the outcomes and goals articulated in UN Women’s Strategic Plan. Each FPI is based on a comprehensive theory of change (TOC), which articulates the causal linkages and actions required by national, CSOs, UN, ODA and private partners in order to achieve transformative change in the lives of women and girls. The role of UN Women in each of these partnerships will be context-specific. In some countries, UN Women will focus on creating a coalition for change while in some other it will play a broader operational role.