APPACHA calls for free and universal access to antiretroviral
treatment for people living with HIV and AIDS in Asia Pacific region.

1) Asian People's Alliance to Combat HIV and AIDS (APPACHA) joins the
call for Free and universal access to anti retroviral therapies (ART)
for all those who need it.

2) APPACHA, a multi-sectoral Asia Pacific regional HIV and AIDS
alliance of people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, trade unions,
student movements, health activists and development workers is
endorsing the call for Free and universal access to antiretroviral
treatment for all those who needs it. APPACHA is particularly
concerned about the un-met, treatment needs of people living with HIV
and AIDS in Asia Pacific region.

3) Free and universal access to ART is important to people living with
HIV and AIDS in Asia Pacific As well. In Asia, some 8.2 million people
are estimated to be living with HIV, including 1.2 million people
newly infected in the past year. The number of women living with HIV
has increased by 56% since 2002, bringing the total number of women
currently living with the virus to around 2.3 million. AIDS claimed
some 540 000 lives in Asia in 2004.

4) The nature and quantity of unmet ARV treatment needs of people
living with HIV and AIDS varies from country to country. While some
Asia pacific countries urgently need to scale up ARV treatment.
(Cambodia, Myanmar, India and Thailand), others are only now starting
to experience rapidly expanding epidemics and need to mount swift,
effective treatment strategies (Indonesia, Nepal, Viet Nam, and
several provinces in China).

5) Free and universal access to anti retroviral therapies (ART) for
all those who needs it should be one of the key objectives of the
National HIV and AIDS response in countries which are still seeing
extremely low levels of HIV prevalence, even among people at high risk
of infection, and have golden opportunities to pre-empt serious
outbreaks. These countries include Bangladesh, East Timor, Laos,
Pakistan, and the Philippines. The HIV prevention benefit of a free
and universal access to anti retroviral therapies (ART) i n these
countries is enormous.

6) "We challenge all governments and leading agencies concerned to
take on the "free by 5 initiative". It is the state's responsibility
to provide the basic social needs of its people, including affordable,
accessible and acceptable health care. While billions of dollars is
spent yearly on the wars of aggression, there is the reality that
something must be done in the reality that there is the upsurge of the
HIV and AIDS epidemic and the rise of number of women and children
being affected by the modern day plague." Said, Dr. Geneve Rivera of
the Community Medicine Development Foundation- a key member of the
People's Health Movement in the Philippines and the APPACHA regional
coordination committee member.

7) "The HIV and AIDS commitment of the national governments,
International agencies including, various UN agencies and bilateral
HIV and AIDS support programs should be measured against those
agencies commitment to enhance access to ARV treatment" said Dr. Joe
Thomas, one of the regional co-ordinator of APPACHA.

8) As a policy, provision for a free and universal ART treatment- line
item should be integral to all the national HIV and AIDS budgets.

9) John Rock of Asia Pacific Net work of People living with HIV/AIDS
(APN+) says that "it is essential that ARV's be provided free of
charge for all people in the developing world who need them, just as
those people like me fortunate enough to live in the developed world
have access to them. Anything less is morally unacceptable."

10) UN Theme groups, WHO country representatives and the UNAIDS in
country staff need to develop proactive strategies to ensure technical
assistance are offered to the National HIV and AIDS programs.
Monitoring such initiatives will be an integral part of APPACHA
regional access to treatment monitoring initiative

11) The "Free by 5" declaration, originally initiated by the Health
Economics and
HIV/AIDS Research Division (HEARD) of the University of KwaZulu-Natal
is rapidly gathering support from key actors and organisations all
over the world. The declaration urges international donors to
actively promote the implementation of free treatment and to pledge
additional resources to make this a reality. It also presses WHO and
UNAIDS to formally adopt clear guidelines on the necessity of free
ARV-treatment. You can find the full text of the declaration, as well
as the list of signatories, on http://www.nu.ac.za/heard/free/freeby5.asp


FOR FURTHER DETAILS PLEASE CONTACT APPACHA REGIONAL TEAM
<appacha@...>

Ms.Rosanna Barbero: (Cambodia) (rosanna@...)
Mr. Nimit Tien Udom: (Thailand) (nimit@...)
Dr. Joe Thomas: (Australia): (joe_thomas123@...)
Mr. John Rock: (Australia): (smruti@...)
Mr.Rajendra Bahadur Raut: (Nepal) : (udecont@...)
Dr. John Forhan: (Afghanistan): (smruti@...)
Mr. Abraham. K. K: (Chennai, India): kkabraham@...)
Dr. Geneve E Rivera: (Manila- Philippines): (genevemd@...)
Ms.Aanasuya.M (Bangalore- India) (milana_bgl@...)
Mr.Mukul Sharma' (New Delhi) (mukul@...)
Dr. Unnikrishnan (Bangalore) (unni@...)
Dr. Ekbal (Kerala,India) (ekbal@...)