ASIA PACIFIC ALLIANCE TO COMBAT HIV & AIDS
&
ACTIONAID INTERNATIONAL

Press Release: New Delhi, 2nd December 2004:

"MILITARISATION AND WTO ARE KEY CHALLENGES
IN THE FIGHT AGAINST HIV/ AIDS AND POVERTY".

"Militarisation and WTO (World Trade Organization) are key
challenges in the fight against HIV/ AIDS and poverty" said Rep.
Satur C Ocampo, Senator and President of Bayan Muna (People First),
Philippines. He was addressing Asia Pacific Conference on HIV/ AIDS
and Governance. "Place poverty in the top of the agenda in the
fight
against HIV/ AIDS" he said.

The fight against HIV/ AIDS in Asia Pacific region received a boost
today as People Living with HIV/ AIDS, trade unionists, health and
human rights activists, law makers, medical professionals,
politicians and international agencies came together for this two
days conference.

The conference that began today is jointly being organized by Asia
Pacific People's Alliance to Combat HIV/ AIDS (APPACHA) and
ActionAid International- (AAI).

APPACHA is a new initiative that brings people from various walks of
life together (like People living with HIV/ AIDS, trade unions,
student and youth groups, health activists and others) in the fight
against HIV/ AIDS. AAI works in over 40, countries, some of
them `flash points' of the HIV/ AIDS epidemic.

"Solidarity, synergy and participation are crucial in addressing
HIV/ AIDS and its governance issues" said Mr. K.K. Abraham,
President of INP + during the inaugural session. "Getting care
and
treatment is a challenge" he said.

"Epidemic is far from control" said Ms. Chitralekha Yadav,
Deputy
Speaker of the Royal Nepalese Government. "The existing
governance
structures are not competent enough to tackle the crisis" she
said.

Consider the facts:

• Every 24 hours over 8,000 people die worldwide from HIV/
AIDS. Majority of them are poor.
• Last year, the epidemic killed over 3 million people – most
of them from Africa.
• 39.4 million people are living with HIV/ AIDS worldwide.
This is a big jump from the situation in 2002 when over 36.6 million
were affected.
• Women are badly hit. The number of women living with HIV has
increased across the world. UN agencies report that close to half of
37.2 million positive adults (aged 15 to 49 years) are women.
"The
steepest increase is in Asia. In East Asia, there was a 56 %
increase in the past 2 years. Eastern Europe and Central Asia comes
next with 48 %" said a recent report by UNAIDS.
• In Sub Saharan Africa, the worst AIDS affected region in the
world, nearly 60 % adults living with HIV/ AIDS are women– that
is
13.3 million, nearly the population of India's capital city, New
Delhi.

"Go beyond the numbers and statistics" said John Samuel,
International Director, ActionAid International. "Put people
first
to make the system accountable" he said. The conference is
expected
to raise hard questions about the lack of accountability and
transparency.

"Time to do a soul searching- not just for the government, but
also
for other civil society actors" said Prof. B. Ekbal, former Vice
Chancellor of University of Kerala and convener of People's
Health
Movement- India. "Epidemic and its politics are too complex to be
left to any single entity" he said.

"Absence of choices is making people more vulnerable" said
Ms. Sonam
Yangchen Rana, Senior Advisor, Regional HIV and Development
Programme, UNDP, New Delhi. "Integrated responses are
necessary" she
said.

"Media needs to fight the fatigue of reporting HIV/ AIDS"
said Ms.
Nupur Basu from India, a journalist associated with New Delhi
Television. "We are yet to unleash the power of the media"
she said.

"Patents shouldn't come in the way of accessing essential
medicines"
said Vivek Divan of Lawyer's Collective, India. The changes in
the
patent laws, under the directions of WTO, will increase the drug
prices several times and thus making it unaffordable for the poor
people.

Impact of the HIV/ AIDS epidemic on workers and labour force was
reiterated by most of the speakers on this opening day of the
conference.

The conference is expected to amplify the voices of People Living
with HIV/ AIDS and communities they live in. A regional action plan
for better governance, strengthening of the primary health care
system and access to treatment and care for people living with HIV/
AIDS is an expected outcome.

For media enquiries: +91-(0)98450 91319 (Dr. Unnikrishnan PV) +91-98180 65092
(Ms.Kiran Shaheen)

ActionAid International- India; C 88; South Extention Part 2; New
Delhi 110 049