Contract ManagerJob title: Contract Manager

Division/Department: Technical Support Facility

Location: Kuala Lumpur

Rank/Grade: -

Salary: Salary will commensurate with experience and qualifications



Please send completed applications or contact us at this address:
ippfklro@...

Closing date for applications: 3/16/2009



Job Purpose

Responsible for overall supervision of the Contract Management Unit
on all consultancy issues as well as contracts and grants and its
management within the HIV/AIDS Technical Support Facility.

Key Tasks

Under the overall supervision of the TSF Director, the incumbent will
carry out the following duties and responsibilities:

1. Contracts and Grants management

Provide leadership and support for design and implementation of all
Contract and Grant management
Ensures all activities related to contract & grant management are
carried out in conformance with established policies and procedures
Assures that agreements with donors, partnering organizations,
contractors/clients, and consultants are contractually sound
Recommends for approval to the TSF Director of all contracts and
consultancies.
Serves as a technical resource person to Program and Finance Units in
the management of consultancy services.
Assures that the technical requests are secured on the funding source
from clients and proper documentation is in place.
Interprets and applies funding regulations to ensure that all
TSF/IPPF policies and procedures and donor contracting requirements
are met for contracting services
Develops and implements procedures for contracting services to ensure
that adequate records and audit trails are maintained
Develops and implements procedures to ensure that contracts are
processed expediently, monitored appropriately and completed in a
timely manner within the Contract Management Unit.
2. Database Management

Overseeing the management of consultant database, including sourcing
new consultants in priority areas and conducting other assessment as
seems reasonable to expand pool of consultants
Ensuring the efficiency, quality and usefulness of entry of new
consultant¡¦s information, information retrieval, overall accuracy of
the consultant database, and that the software is updated as
needed
Ensure that commercially valuable information is treated
confidentially, that computer records are backed up once a week, that
physical and electronic records are secure
Ensuring that quality assurance processes are in place for potential
consultants as well as during the course of assignment
3. Consultancy Management

Work closely with Program and Finance Units to ensure smooth
management of consultancy assignments
Tracking processes relating to assignments, reporting on these on a
periodic basis, and advising Director and appropriate managers of
delays or problems  Responding to requests for information about the
TSF and refer to Program Unit as appropriate
Ensuring administrative, logistic-related emergencies or problems
with consultants are managed properly
4. Others:

Manage the Contracts Unit
Provides support to the 6 month Progress Reports, Annual Report and
other similar documentation required of the TSF from IPPF, UNAIDS,
GFATM, donors and clients, as required
Provides input and participates in management team meetings.
Represents the TSF at meetings and travels as required
Performs other duties as assigned by the Director
Essential Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

At least a Diploma in Business Management or equivalent with minimum
of 5 years experience in Business Administration and Programme
Management
Experience in working with international humanitarian organizations
or government institutions, in a multi-cultural setting is an
advantage
Experience and competence in the development and implementation of
systems to manage external service providers.
Familiarity with the provision of consultancy services.  Strong
analytical skills. Initiative and ability to manage efficiently
multiple tasks.
Accustomed to operating at a highly professional level in a busy
environment. Comfortable working with very senior people.
Excellent interpersonal skills and a good team player.
Legal background is an asset„X Effective user of Microsoft Office
software.
Applicants should send their applications to:

The Director
Technical Support Facility- South East Asia and Pacific (TSF-SEAP)
IPPF ESEAOR
No. 246 Jalan Ampang
50450 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
Tel: +603-42576180
Fax: +603-42576994
E-mail: info@...





The IPPF application form is available in large print, audio and
Braille formats for jobs based at the Central Office. We hope to have
those formats available for jobs based in other offices soon.

IPPF is an equal opportunities employer.
We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be acknowledged.

Media Release 23 February 2009

GOOD NEIGHBOURS BECOME GOOD FRIENDS

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Lowy Institute for International Policy
join influential Pacific regional leaders and others in fight against the three
major pandemics in our region

The fight against the increasing incidence of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria
among Australia’s neighbouring countries is being boosted with the help of some
good friends.

Leading business, community, political figures and medical experts have made a
commitment to become ‘Pacific Friends of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria’. To be launched on February 23 and chaired by Ms Wendy
McCarthy AO, influential ‘Pacific Friends’ include Mr Andrew Forrest, Hon
Michael Kirby AC CMG, Ms Heather Ridout, Prof Tony Cunningham, Ms Lucy Turnbull,
Mr Ian Clarke and more. *

The launch will also announce that Australian sporting sensation, Matthew
Mitcham OAM, has been invited to be the Pacific Friends’ Youth Ambassador. Last
year at the Beijing Olympic Games Matthew won the Gold Medal in the Men’s 10m
Platform Diving with the highest score ever awarded in Olympic history.

Pacific Friends was made possible by a grant of close to $US1 million from the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

This diverse group will mobilise regional awareness of the serious threat posed
by the three pandemics to societies and economies in the region. Pacific Friends
will also mobilise support for the Genevabased Global Fund that plays a vital
role in resourcing effective country based plans to reduce the impact and spread
of the diseases.

Since 2002, the Global Fund has raised $US19 billion to be used against the
three pandemics worldwide. Already, it provides a quarter of all international
financing to combat HIV/AIDS, two thirds for tuberculosis and three quarters for
malaria.

Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC, Governor General of Australia, will be the
inaugural patron of Pacific Friends. She will join Global Fund Executive
Director, Dr Michel Kazatchkine, in launching Pacific Friends in Sydney. The
Governor General has a deep interest in community based responses to health
challenges and especially in encouraging the role of women and girls in
promoting healthier societies.

Pacific Friends joins similar organisations in Africa, the United States of
America, Japan, Europe, Latin America, South Asia and the Middle East as
nongovernmental advocates of the Global Fund.

The inaugural Executive Director of Pacific Friends will be Mr Bill Bowtell,
Director of the HIV/AIDS Project at the Lowy Institute for International Policy
in Sydney, where Pacific Friends will be based.

“The Global Fund benefits enormously from the work of Friends organisations,
through their efforts to promote understanding and to mobilise regional support
for our work in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria,” said Dr
Michel Kazatchkine, the Global Fund’s Executive Director. “Pacific Friends of
the Global Fund will no doubt be one of the strong voices communicating to
donors the importance of financing the future of so many people living in the
Pacific region.”

“The Global Fund is one of the best and kindest things people have ever done for
one another,” said Dr Tachi Yamada, President of the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation’s Global Health Program.
“It is a fantastic vehicle for scaling up access to effective tools, and it has
already helped prevent millions of unnecessary deaths.”

The Global Fund works with maximum transparency and its commitment to
performance based funding and local implementation has won the confidence of
both public and private sector donors.

Pacific Friends is a new advocacy organisation founded in order to create
awareness for the Globa Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria across the
Pacific region. It aims to build political and financial support for the Global
Fund’s fight against the three diseases. Countries in our region receiving
support from the Global Fund so far are Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea
Solomon Islands, Fiji, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated
States of Micronesia, Nauru  Niue, Palau, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

The Global Fund is a not for profit organisation which provides a quarter of all
international financing to combat HIV/AIDS, two thirds for tuberculosis and
three quarters for malaria. The Global Fund, created in 2002, has committed more
than US$15 billion in 140 countries to support large scale prevention, treatment
and care programs against the three diseases. Programs it supports are estimated
to have averted more than 2.5 million deaths by providing HIV/AIDS treatment for
2 million people, antituberculosis treatment for 4.6 million people, and by
distributing 70 million insecticidetreated bed nets for the prevention of
malaria worldwide visit

www.theglobalfund.org.

For more information, please contact:
Norelle Feehan – Feehan Communications
Office: +61 2 9267 2711
Mobile: +61 0429 772 759
Email: norelle@...

Pacific Friends of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria:
Sir Peter Barter – Former Health Minister, Papua New Guinea
Mr Bill Bowtell – HIV/AIDS Program Director, Lowy Institute for International
Policy
Ms Ita Buttrose AO – Journalist and author
Rt Hon Helen Clark MP – Former Prime Minister, New Zealand
Mr Ian Clarke – Chairman, Gadens Lawyers
Prof David Cooper AO – Director, National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and
Clinical Research
Prof Tony Cunningham – Director, Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical
Research
Mr Philip Endersbee – President, Wilderness Wear Australia Pty Ltd
Mr Andrew Forrest – Chief Executive Officer, Fortescue Metals Group
Mr Allan Gyngell – Executive Director, Lowy Institute for International Policy
Dr Graeme Killer AO – Principal Adviser, Department of Veterans’ Affairs
Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG – Former Justice, High Court of Australia
Dr Nafsiah Mboi – Secretary, Indonesia National AIDS Commission
Ms Wendy McCarthy AO – Chair, Pacific Friends of the Global Fund
Lady Roslyn Morauta – Chair, Papua New Guinea Country Coordinating Mechanism
Prof Rob Moodie – Professor of Global Health, Nossal Institute for Global
Health, University of
Melbourne
Prof Robyn Norton – Principal Director, The George Institute for International
Health
Mr Brad Orgill – Chief Executive Officer, UBS Investment Bank Australasia
Senator Marise Payne MP – Senator for New South Wales
Ms Heather Ridout – Chief Executive Officer, Australian Industry Group
Ms Lucy Turnbull – Turnbull & Partners
Mr Bill Whittaker AM – CoConvenor,
Health & Treatments Portfolio, National Association of People
with HIV/AIDS
Dr Alex Wodak – Director, Alcohol and Drug Service, St Vincent’s Hospital

Media Release 23 February 2009
NEW ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION FOR THE GLOBAL FUND IN THE PACIFIC LAUNCHED IN SYDNEY

Sydney – The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria warmly welcomes
the launch of Pacific Friends of the Global Fund, a new advocacy organization
founded in order to create and sustain visibility and awareness for the Global
Fund across the Pacific region, as well as to build political and financial
support for the organization and the fight against the three diseases.

Pacific Friends joins Friends organizations in Africa, the U.S., Japan, Europe,
Latin America and South and West Asia as nongovernmental advocates on behalf of
the Global Fund. A similar organization is planned for the Middle East as well.

“The Global Fund benefits enormously by the work of Friends organizations,
through their efforts to promote understanding and to mobilize regional support
for the work of the Global Fund and the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and
malaria,” said Dr Michel Kazatchkine, the Global Fund’s Executive Director.
“Pacific Friends of the Global Fund will no doubt be one of the strong voices
communicating to donors the importance of financing to the future of so many
people living in the Pacific region.”

Countries and territories receiving support from the Global Fund so far, in the
region covered by Pacific Friends are Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea,
the Solomon Islands, Fiji, the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands,
Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and
Vanuatu. To date, the Global Fund has approved 28 grants to fight the three
diseases in these countries and territories worth US$ 567 million.

Pacific Friends is receiving support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
through a grant worth almost US$ 1 million. The Gates Foundation has been a
longtime supporter of the Global Fund, having already donated US$ 650 million to
the organization to support its vital work to improve health and save lives
across the globe.

“The Global Fund is one of the best and kindest things people have ever done for
one
another,“ said Dr Tachi Yamada, President of the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation’s Global Health Program. “It is a fantastic vehicle for scaling up
access to effective tools, and it has already helped prevent millions of
unnecessary deaths.”

Pacific Friends of the Global Fund will be led by Mr Bill Bowtell, Director of
the HIV/AIDS
Project at the Lowy Institute, an independent international policy think tank
based in Sydney.

Mr Bowtell was an architect of Australia’s highly regarded and effective
response to
HIV/AIDS. “The spread of these preventable diseases poses increasing problems
among our nearest neighbors,“ said Mr Bowtell. “Yet efforts and funds have
already shown the tide can be turned. Pacific Friends of the Global Fund will
play a key role in the region to build the political and financial support
needed to scale up the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria”

The Global Fund is a unique global public/private partnership dedicated to
attracting and disbursing additional resources to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS,
tuberculosis and malaria. This partnership between governments, civil society,
the private sector and affected communities represents a new approach to
international health financing. The Global Fund works in close collaboration
with other bilateral and multilateral organizations to supplement existing
efforts dealing with the three diseases.

At the end of 2008, Global Fund supported programs are estimated to have averted
more than 2.5 million deaths by providing AIDS treatment for 2 million people,
antituberculosis
treatment for 4.6 million people, and by distributing 70 million insecticide
treated bed nets for the prevention of malaria worldwide. The Global Fund has so
far approved funding in 140 countries worth US$ 15 billion.

For more information, please contact:
Nicolas Demey – Communications
Office: + 41 58 791 10 57
Mobile: + 41 79 504 21 34
Email: nicolas.demey@...

Andrew Hurst – Communications
Office: + 41 58 791 86 72
Mobile: + 41 79 561 68 07
Email: andrew.hurst@...

Information on the work of the Global Fund is available at www.theglobalfund.org
______________________

Leaders to fight disease in Pacific

Karen Davis/February 23, 2009
Influential business, political and community leaders have joined
forces to boost the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria
in the Pacific region.

Governor-General Quentin Bryce launched the Pacific Friends of The
Global Fund in Sydney on Monday.

The group aims to raise awareness for the regional work of the fund,
a not-for-profit organisation set up in 2002 to provide financing to
combat the three diseases.

There are 350,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in the Pacific and half
a million new cases of tuberculosis in Indonesia alone each year.
Pacific Friends' new chair Wendy McCarthy said the more than 20
people involved in the group were quick to offer their help.

"They're all individually committed," she said.

"It's a way of putting the Pacific back on the agenda ... to grow it
again and try to get the infrastructure back and build awareness of
the work that can be done."

The group includes former High Court justice Michael Kirby, Fortescue
Metals boss Andrew Forrest, former New Zealand prime minister Helen
Clark, Australian Industry Group director Heather Ridout, journalist
Ita Buttrose and prominent lawyer Lucy Turnbull, wife of federal
Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull.

Diver Matthew Mitcham, who won gold at the Beijing Olympics, will be
the group's youth ambassador.

He said the three diseases were some of the most infectious and he
wanted to help raise awareness in support of the fight to eradicate
them.

"The demographic that I'm in is the young, gay community which is
obviously affected by HIV and AIDS," Mitcham said after the launch.

"So that was probably the largest reason I became involved, the fact
that HIV is so common in our community.

"I will be visiting communities when I can and learning as much as I
can so I can educate as much as I can."

Ms Bryce, who is the new patron of Pacific Friends, said the fund
channelled grants worth almost $US1 billion ($A1.56 billion) into the
region.

"For the first time ever we are poised to make a significant and
enduring impact," she told the gathering.

"In our region, in our generation, not only treatment but eradication
is within our grasp.

"We are ready to change not only statistics but the face and future
of human life."

The Global Fund has so far committed more than $US15 billion ($A23.34
billion) for large scale prevention, treatment and care programs in
140 countries.

Pacific Friends is the latest friends organisation formed to support
the fund, joining groups operating in Africa, the US, Japan, Europe,
Latin America and Asia.

Pacific Friends was founded with a grant from the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation, and is supported by the Lowy Institute which will
provide a base for the group.

© 2009 AAP
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/leaders-to-fight-
disease-in-pacific-20090223-8fqa.html
________________

ASIA-PACIFIC:   "Society Heavyweights Join Forces to Lobby Against
Disease"

Australian Associated Press     (02.23.09):: Karen Davis

Australian Governor-General Quentin Bryce on Monday announced the
launch of a new group, Pacific Friends of the Global Fund (PFGF),
whose aim is to accelerate the fight against HIV/AIDS, TB and
malaria. "In our region, in our generation, not only treatment but
eradication is within our grasp," Bryce said.

More than 20 business, political, and community leaders have signed
on to the effort so far. PFGF backers include former High Court
justice Michael Kirby; Fortescue Metals chief Andrew Forrest; Helen
Clark, former New Zealand prime minister; Heather Ridout, Australian
Industry Group's director; journalist Ita Buttrose; and attorney Lucy
Turnbull, whose husband is federal opposition leader Malcolm
Turnbull.

The group's youth ambassador is Matthew Mitcham, who took a gold
medal in diving at the Beijing Olympics. "The demographic that I'm in
is the young gay community, which is obviously affected by HIV and
AIDS," Mitcham said. "So that was probably the largest reason I
became involved, the fact that HIV is so common in our community."

PFGF is "a way of putting the Pacific back on the agenda, to grow it
again and try to get the infrastructure back and build awareness of
the work that can be done," said Wendy McCarthy, the group's chair.

PFGF joins other groups of Global Fund backers organized in Africa,
the United States, Japan, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. It was
formed with a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and is
supported by the Lowy Institute.

http://www.cdcnpin.org/scripts/listserv/prevention_news.asp.

The Financial Crisis and Global Health

LINDSAY MORGAN

It's hard to see your way through a storm when you're in the middle
of one. Such is the predicament of the global health community, as we
sort out what the financial crisis will mean for the health of poor
people in developing countries months – even years from now.

While nothing is known for certain, most agree the impact will be
substantial and negative. "After wars, plagues and natural disasters,
financial crises kill the poor the most," said Liliana Rojas-Suarez,
senior fellow at Center for Global Development (CGD) and an expert in
financial markets.

There are some measures that can be taken to mitigate the damage (such as
expanding and developing safety nets), but the main task is to get more health
for every dollar.

Let's start with aid. Will politicians choose to offset a tiny
fraction of the $700 billion bailout by reducing official development
assistance (ODA) in general, and funding for health (which has grown
disproportionately in recent years)? The evidence suggests the answer
is yes. Research from CGD fellow David Roodman shows that after each
previous financial crisis in a donor country since 1970 (which
includes Japan, Finland, Norway and Sweden), the country's aid
declined. Foreign assistance tends to be pro-cyclical – that is,
shortfalls in aid and domestic revenue tend to coincide. And as
InterAmerican Development Bank health expert Amanda Glassman
said, "Aid for health is no exception." But don't expect governments
to announce cuts in foreign assistance; the contraction will be
invisible, with disbursements quietly dragged out and a contracting
seeing a slowdown.

A shortfall in ODA could have big repercussions. Poor countries rely
on donor assistance to supplement domestic resources for essential
services such as primary education and immunization – in many sub-
Saharan African countries, close to half of all basic health sector
funding comes from development assistance, and donors buy the vast
majority of vaccines for many poor countries. If ODA decreases –
especially during a period of global economic contraction – these
services may be disrupted with an immediate negative effect on those
in greatest need.

What about other types of external support for health, such as the
funding – some of it raised on the capital markets – for research and
development and specific health programs? It may be more difficult to
persuade private sector partners such as pharmaceutical companies
that it's worth their time and resources to participate in public-
private partnerships now, when firms are likely to be strapped for
credit and have an even greater need to show near-term returns to
shareholders. The United States is by far the biggest player in R&D,
spending more than $28 billion each year on biomedical research, and
much of the private investment in R&D comes from U.S. sources. The
financial crisis will mean increased competition for research
dollars; funding for the National Institutes of Health is unlikely to
increase. The financial crisis may also dampen enthusiasm for relying
on capital markets more broadly, a model the International Finance
Facility for Immunization follows, for example.

So can we turn to philanthropy to fill the gap? Possibly. Against the
backdrop of the crisis, $16 billion was pledged to fight poverty in
late September at the United Nations summit of world leaders to
review progress on achieving the Millennium Development Goals. But
some foundations that depended on now-defunct hedge funds for
contributions and/or which invested in the shakier parts of the stock
market are likely to face a sharp decline in their assets. This makes
it doubtful that they will embark on new initiatives that they
otherwise might have considered. Grant making may also be reduced.

Individuals who give to charities involved in overseas relief and
development – whose collective giving is significant (according to
the Hudson Institute, in 2006, the United States gave $34.8 billion
in private philanthropy) – are also likely to have less to give away
this year and next.

What health programs are at risk? It will be difficult for donors to
pull back from certain commitments, such as funding for HIV/AIDS,
because cutting funding would most certainly force people off life-
extending treatment. Legislation passed in July 2008 authorizes
approximately $39 billion over the next five years for HIV/AIDS (as
well as $5 billion for malaria and $4 billion for tuberculosis), but
at least half of that must be spent on treatment and care.

Resources for prevention have always been scarcer and it's unlikely
they will increase given the enormous (and expanding) cost of
treatment, given that it is harder to measure prevention successes,
and given the complicated U.S. domestic politics that surround the
issue.

There are other health priorities that will likely struggle for
support in economic hard times (and for which little funding
currently exists), such as building the capacity of health systems in
developing countries, and preventing maternal mortality, which is the
leading cause of mortality globally among adult women of reproductive
age. And little can be expected in the area of chronic disease even
though the toll of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes and
cancer outweighs that of infectious disease in nearly every region of
the world, according to CGD deputy director for global health, Rachel
Nugent.

Far more important than whether aid dollars rise or fall is the
potential impact of the financial crisis on the fiscal positions of
developing countries. The forecast is not encouraging. Slowed growth
in emerging economies may dampen demand for imports, contributing to
a drop in the prices of commodities. Leading indicators of global
economic activity, such as shipping rates, are already declin¬ing at
alarming rates. Taxable activities, such as trade, will be diminished
and investment in low-income countries (LICs) may slow.

Yet LICs have less ability to deal with the damage through counter-
cyclical fiscal policies (such as issuing bonds). Private capital
flows to emerging markets, which hit a record $1 trillion in 2007,
are also expected to drop to around $800 billion by 2009, according a
World Bank report. Developing countries are generally seen as risky
borrowers, so when markets are jittery and lending is cut back, they
lose more than most. Developing country budgets, therefore, are
likely to be strained. And in times of austerity, health spending
will be especially vulnerable.

Meanwhile, poor households will have to deal with inflation and high
food prices. In poor countries, it is common for families to spend
between 50-70 percent of their income on food, according to the
International Food Policy Research Institute. As domestic banks face
pressures, families may find it difficult to obtain credit or access
financial services. And a slowdown in the U.S. is likely to affect
demand for labor and may lead to a decrease in the flow of
remittances, which could have major effects on poor households,
especially in Mexico and Central America. Money sent home by Mexicans
living in the United States fell to $1.9 billion for August 2008,
according to the Bank of Mexico, a 12.2 percent drop from the same
month last year.

Changes in both public and private expenditures could have a
significant negative impact on the health of the poor in developing
countries. The effects of economic shocks on health vary and can be
ambiguous, but a new study analyzing the effects of economic shocks
on child schooling and health from the World Bank shows
that, "recessions, droughts and other economic downturns tend to have
negative effects on both health and education outcomes for children
in poor countries."2

We have seen this happen before. A study3 by Christina Paxon of
Princeton University and Norbert Schady of the World Bank analyzed
the impact of a crisis in Peru in the late 1980s on infant mortality.
They show that there was an increase in the infant mortality rate of
about 2.5 percentage points for children born during the crisis,
implying that about 17,000 more children died than would have in the
absence of the crisis. They suggest that the collapse in public and
private expenditures on health played an important role.

A severe economic crisis in Argentina in 2001 led to drug shortages
that prompted the government to import 21,000 doses of HIV drugs to
be distributed in hospitals as an emergency measure, along with
insulin from Brazil and over-the-counter drugs from Spain and Italy.

At the same time, World Bank loans intended to support health sector
reform were diverted to procure vaccines so that the country could
maintain its immunization program. Health insurance and social
security schemes faced severe financial difficulties while many bank
accounts were frozen, leaving people with limited access to cash.

And the 1997 Asian currency crisis, which caused severe economic
damage across much of East and Southeast Asia, had a negative impact
on public health in Indonesia. Data from the World Health
Organization show an almost 25 percent decline in immunization
coverage rates between 1995 and 1999, the reduction being most
striking in 1997-98. Expenditures by individuals on primary care from
1996/97 to 1999/2000 were reduced by 20 percent, and government
spending was cut by 25 percent. Between 1997 and 1999, the use of
health care services by poor children dropped by about 17 percent,
compared with 8 percent in children from wealthier settings.4

So what is the global health community to do? In the short-term, we
must consider the potential reorientation of aid dollars toward
helping countries create viable safety nets in order to reach people
who are made extremely vulnerable by shocks (e.g., populations who
are most affected by high food prices, loss of remittances, and
unemployment). According to the IMF, 56 countries reported targeted
cash transfer programs for 2008, but only 39 had expanded their
programs in response to fuel and food price increases.

Over the long-term, more emphasis should be placed on monitoring
donors' financial contributions to global health and making it
visible when they shirk earlier commitments. The field of global
health is crowded with populist promises that often go unrealized,
but good results depend on the predictability and reliability of
resources. Strong advocacy for more sustained health assistance
should also continue. The argument for investment in health is clear
and compelling: good health improves labor productivity, facilities
learning, and contributes to economic growth and poverty reduction.

And most fundamentally, donors must ensure that aid dollars reach the
poorest, and that money translates into improved health.

"Like a hurricane, a financial crisis reminds us of how vulnerable we
are, and how the most vulnerable are the least well protected," said
Ruth Levine, CGD vice president and senior fellow. It's time to think
about development assistance, not as a luxury to pursue when times
are good, but as a powerful stabilizer when times are tough. The
poorest need our help now more than ever.

REFERENCES

1. Francisco H. G. Ferreira and Norbert Schady, "Aggregate Economic
Shocks, Child Schooling and Child Health," Policy Research Working
Paper 4701, World Bank, August 2008.

2.Christina Paxon and Norbert Schady, "Child Health and Economic
Crisis in Peru," (2004).

3. Chris Simms and Michael Rowson, "Reassessment of health effects of
the Indonesian economic crisis: donors versus the data," The Lancet
(2003).

GLOBAL HEALTH is published by the Global Health Council
Winter 2009. www.globalhealthmagazine.com

Around One Thousand Five Hundred People Diagnosed as PLHIV in Japan in
2008

http://www.theindiapost.com/?p=8872

Dr. Avnish Jolly, 19th February, 2009 :According to Japan's Health
Ministry report the number of people in Japan newly infected with the
HIV virus and those contracting AIDS reached an all-time high of
1,545. Dr. Aikichi Iwamoto said that an increasing number of people
are getting infected as a result of male-to-male sexual contact and
the age range is widening.

Of the 1,113 people diagnosed as newly positive with the human
immunodeficiency virus in 2008 and 432 diagnosed with AIDS, 1,442 were
male, the ministry's AIDS Trend Committee report said.

Report also disclosed that PLHIVS those in their 30s accounted for 559 people,
or 36 percent, while 377 were in their 20s and people in their 50s accounted for
283 patients, an increase of 50 people from the previous year.

The report said 964 people, or 62 percent, were infected through
same-sex contact last year, while 365 became infected through
heterosexual contact and 10 through sharing drug needles.

Dr. Avnish Jolly
e-mail: <avnishjolly@...>

Politics wins over HIV/AIDS: Two prominent Iranian HIV/AIDS doctors
jailed for nine years

Two prominent Iranian HIV/AIDS doctors jailed for a total of nine
years for their part in an alleged coup plot.

Iran HIV/AIDS dedicated Medical Brothers Dr. Arash Alaei and Dr.
Kamyar Alaei were accused of being "key elements" in a plan Iran said
was backed by the CIA. The prison sentences were imposed after a
secret trial after which Arash was sentenced to six years in prison
and Kamyar to three years.

Iran's state media quoted the Intelligence Ministry as saying the men
were among four people engaged in "creating social crisis, street
demonstrations and ethnic disputes". The two other defendants have not
been named.

It is a matter of great concern and bad on the part of Islamic
Republic of Iran firstly for forcibly detention (without charges)
since end of June 2008 and now imprisonment.

As an AIDS activist we all should urge the Islamic Republic of Iran to
release them immediately.

Dr. Kamiar Alaei is a doctoral candidate at the SUNY Albany School of
Public Health, and Dr. Arash Alaei is a former Director of the
International Education and Research Cooperation of the Iranian
National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease.

Since 1998, Dr. Arash Alaei and Dr. Kamiar Alaei have been carrying
out programs dealing with HIV/AIDS, particularly focused on harm
reduction for injecting drug users in the war-torn province of
Kermanshah, on the West Coast of Iran.

In addition to their work in Iran, the Alaei brothers have held
training courses for Afghan and Tajik medical workers and have worked
to encourage regional cooperation among 12 Middle Eastern and Central
Asian countries.

They were key organizers of a tri-national meeting in 2004 in Tehran
to discuss harm reduction and substitution treatment in Iran,
Tajikistan and Afghanistan.  At that meeting, Iran's programs proved
to be inspiring role models for the region, according to medical
experts who participated in the meeting.

The Drs. Alaei's work has addressed the most disadvantaged
populations and patients in the country.

In these activities, Iran's programs proved to be inspiring role
models of close work with government and religious leaders to ensure
support for education campaigns on HIV transmission and for HIV and
harm reduction programs in prisons.

Neither of the men is known to have any involvement in political
activities. More over no evidence was also not produced to show that
Arash and Kamyar Alaei were engaged in anything other than
international collaboration to fight the spread
of HIV and Aids.

The Iranian government has not formally charged them with a crime,
nor have they allowed them access to family or counsel which is a
clear violation of the brothers' human right of access to due process
of law.

I, as a friend of Doctors Kamiar Alaei and Arash Alaei, express a
great concern over their imprisonment.  had the unique opportunity of
interviewing the young Doctors at Bangkok at 15th International AIDS
Conference and Dr.Kamiar at 3rd IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and
Treatment held at Rio, Brazil.

Kamiar was at Boston with his International Health education program
at Harvard School of Public Health and had a deep concern of improving
the Health system of Iran.

Alike me, Kamiar could not participate in the International AIDS
Conference held at Toronto but was very much excited to participate in
this year Mexico Conference. Dr. Arash was scheduled to present about
his work on treatment and prevention for injecting drug users in the
Conference.

At Mexico with the support Iranfreethedocs.org, we ran a signature
campaign also for the release of Doctors. PHR created a petition
calling for the Iranian government to release or formally charge the
brothers. International AIDS Society, IAS also called for their
release, but nothing worked out. This is indeed shameful for all of us
as a part of International AIDS Community and will definitely bring a
negative name to the war of mankind against HIV/AIDS.

I still remember the great moment spend with these two brothers and is
eagerly waiting for their release.

I urge all of you to raise your voice against this serious issue and
we all should work to draw International attention to brothers'
plights and must advocate on their behalf.

Dr. JASVINDER SEHGAL
e-mail: <jasvindersehgal@...>

==================
9th ICAAP INVITATION
==================

On behalf of the local organizing committee and our Indonesian and
international partners, we would like to invite you to join us for the
9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP 9),
to be held in Bali, Indonesia from 9-13 August 2009.

The Congress Theme is Empowering People, Strengthening Networks. It
wishes to bring people from various backgrounds in Asia and the
Pacific region to meet and share knowledge, skills, ideas, research
findings related to HIV and AIDS. This is also be an opportunity for
people to provide mutual support and make stronger commitments in
their fight towards the epidemic.

For more information, please visit the 9th ICAAP website at www.icaap9.org

============
REGISTRATION
We encourage online registration through the congress website at
www.icaap9.org

Deadline for Early Bird Registration: Saturday, 28 February 2009
Deadline for Regular Registration: Sunday, 31 May 2009
Late Registration Charge applies: 1 June 2009
Deadline for Media Registration: Tuesday, 30 June 2009

For online registration and more information, please visit the 9th
ICAAP website at www.icaap9.org

============
CALL FOR ABSTRACT SUBMISSION
We encourage online submission through the congress website at
www.icaap9.org
Deadline for Online Abstract Submission: Sunday, 15 March 2009
Late breaker Abstract Submission: Monday, 1 June 2009 – Tuesday, 30
June 2009

Congress Tracks (Scientific- Studies/Experien ce-based)
Track A: Understanding the Epidemic and Strengthening Prevention Efforts
Track B: Strengthening Partnership for Treatment, Care, and Support
Track C: AIDS in Context: Understanding and Addressing Socio-Cultural,
Economic and Political Determinants
Track D: Leadership and Broadening the Response

For online submission and more information, please visit the 9th ICAAP
website at www.icaap9.org

============
CALL FOR SKILLS BUILDING PROPOSAL
We encourage online submission through the congress website at
www.icaap9.org
Deadline for Online Proposal Submission: Sunday, 15 March 2009
Skills Building tracks:
1. Leadership skills.
2. Organizational development and management.
3. Empowering infected and affected people to improve their quality
of life.
4. Strategy and education skills on HIV prevention, care and supports.
5. Resource mobilisations skills.

For online submission and more information, please visit the 9th ICAAP
website at www.icaap9.org

============
CALL FOR CULTURAL PERFORMANCE PROPOSAL
We encourage online submission through the congress website at
www.icaap9.org
Deadline for Online Proposal Submission: Sunday, 15 March 2009
For online submission and more information, please visit the 9th ICAAP
website at www.icaap9.org

============
CALL FOR SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION
We encourage online submission through the congress website at
www.icaap9.org
Deadline for Scholarship Application: Thursday, 30 April 2009

Scholarship Category:
1. Community Scholarships
2. Scientific Scholarships (for healthcare professionals, researchers,
and/or graduate students)
3. Media Scholarships
4. Youth Scholarships

For online submission and more information, please visit the 9th ICAAP
website at www.icaap9.org

============
9th ICAAP Secretariat:
Menara Eksekutif 8th Floor
Jalan MH Thamrin Kav. 9, Jakarta 10330
INDONESIA

Phone: +62 21 39838845/46
Fax: +62 21 39838847
Website: http://www.icaap9.org
Email. secretariat@...


Siradj Okta
e-mail: <osiradj@...

[A copy of the report, "Home Truths: Facing the Facts on Children,
AIDS, and Poverty. The Joint Learning Initiative on Children and
HIV/AIDS (JLIC) 2009" is available from the following url
http://www.jlica.org/protected/pdf-feb09/Final%20JLICA%20Report-final.pdf]

A new agenda for children affected by HIV/AIDS

The Lancet Editorial. The Lancet, Volume 373, Issue 9663, Page 517,
14 February 2009

As is so often the case in the provision of health care and deciding
research agendas, children have been sidelined in the fight against
HIV/AIDS. According to the latest UNAIDS figures, nearly 2 million
children live with HIV worldwide, two-thirds in sub-Saharan Africa.
In addition, 12 million children in sub-Saharan Africa have lost one
or two parents due to HIV/AIDS. Many more live with a parent or carer
with HIV.

A very small proportion of infected children receive antiretroviral
treatment, and prevention of mother-to-child transmission is only
given to a third of women. Diagnosis in infancy is difficult and
therefore often delayed. Child-friendly medication is lacking. 60% of
children in southern Africa live in poverty. Now that HIV/AIDS is
evolving from an acute emergency into a chronic epidemic, the way to
deliver treatment and achieve prevention needs to change radically
from an individualistic approach to a broader strategic one. Children
and families need to take centre stage.

In an excellent report, based on 2 years of research and analyses,
the Joint Learning Initiative on Children and HIV/AIDS—an independent
alliance of researchers, implementers, activists, policy makers, and
people living with HIV—has presented recommendations for such a
change in direction. Home Truths: Facing the Facts on Children, AIDS,
and Poverty, released on Feb 10, points out three broad policies that
will make an immediate and longlasting difference to children:
support children through immediate or extended families and deliver
integrated family-centred services; strengthen community action to
support families; and address family poverty through national social
protection. Such policies are AIDS-sensitive but not AIDS-directed.

The family is the most important support structure for children. The
report argues that the way orphans have been defined (as having lost
one or both parents) and have become the centre of attention for many
HIV/AIDS policies has been unhelpful, if not damaging. 88% of
children labelled as orphans have a surviving parent and overall 95%
continue to live with extended families.

Additionally, children who live with HIV-positive parents have needs long before
their parents die. Children need to stay within a family or kinship structure.
Infected children usually live with others who are infected with the virus. The
whole family, not the individual, needs to become the unit for support and
treatment.

The report advocates home health visiting and early childhood development
interventions together with strategies to encourage children's education.

The use of schools as intervention platforms misses the opportunity to reach
children early and to reach those who are not in education—the majority in some 
countries. Economic strengthening of families has to be the basis to allow many
of these programmes to fully succeed.

The best immediate support for families is given by community groups.

International donors need to work with these groups in partnership to
avoid duplication, confusion, and waste of time and money. The
authors suggest that coordination could be strengthened with a
district committee that maintains an active register of community
activities and devises a system of accountability that is understood
by all and serves the community.

All activities should be delivered within a framework that is based on best
practice. Communities also have a crucial role to act as a backstop when
families break down or when children live in an abusive environment.

Family poverty and undernutrition can be addressed through income-
transfer programmes, such as Mexico's Oportunidades programme or
South Africa's child support grants. These projects are efficient and
simple, empower women, and can act as a springboard for other more
complex schemes, such as microfinance loans. Such economic support
increases school attendance, reduces illnesses, improves growth, and
encourages uptake of health services.

The largest portion of money is usually used to purchase food. Extreme poverty,
rather than HIV infection, should be used as a criterion to avoid stigma and
resentment. The report argues that "any developing country, no matter how poor,
can afford social protection packages for children".

The positive effect of this policy is now established beyond doubt and no
further pilot studies are needed.

To integrate all these strategies, governments need to take the lead
with national plans and frameworks to scale-up programmes for
children and families.

With this approach, society as a whole will be strengthened with
intergenerational effects that will go a long way towards, but also go well
beyond, tackling the effects of HIV/AIDS.

Putting children and families at the centre will show long-term
vision with guaranteed future benefits.

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673609601744/
fulltext?rss=yes

AIDS top killer disease in China last year: govt
Tue Feb 17, 1:51 pm ET

BEIJING (Reuters) – The AIDS virus became the top deadly infectious
disease in China last year for the first time, killing 6,897 people
in the first nine months of 2008, the official news agency Xinhua
said on Tuesday.

The number of people infected with the HIV/AIDS virus doubled during
that period, Xinhua said, citing a report posted on the Ministry of
Health website.

Xinhua said there were a total of 264,302 HIV/AIDS cases by the end
of September last year and 34,864 people have died of the disease so
far.

United Nations figures estimate that 700,000 people in China were HIV
positive by the end of 2007.

Xinhua said tuberculosis was the second biggest killer in the first
nine months of last year, while rabies ranked third followed by
hepatitis and infant tetanus.

The country reported a one-fifth rise in syphilis last year, with a
total of 257,474 cases, while gonorrhea cases dropped by a tenth,
China's health ministry said.

China on Sunday launched a national sex education campaign aimed at
getting more people to seek treatment for sexually transmitted
diseases and infertility.

(Reporting by Kirby Chien; Editing by Phakamisa Ndzamela)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090217/hl_nm/us_china_aids_1

Global Fund must demonstrate commitment to health equity

Asian People's Alliance for Combating HIV&AIDS (APACHA)  calls the
Global Fund to demonstrate commitment to health equity.

The Indian Multi Sectoral Civil Society Alliance to Combat HIV / AIDS
launched in Mumbai, India  on 12th February,  2009 called for
commitment from Global Fund to equity in the context of current
financial crisis. The following is the text of the unanimous
resolution passed by APACHA India chapter.

APACHA  India  acknowledges that the Global Fund is an important and
unique tool in our fight against Malaria, TB and HIV. The
contribution of the Fund is significant. Millions of lives are saved
and quality of life is improved.

We are concerned about the recent letter from the GF to the CCM to
cut the fund proposal across the programs by 10%.  We strongly feel
the need for the Global fund to apply the principles of equity while
calling to reduce resource allocation. Resources addressing the
weakest and most vulnerable should not be the target of resource
reduction in resource allocation. We request the Global Fund
secretariat  also to come out with plans for reducing administrative
cost of the Fund by outsourcing the non core operation of the Global
Fund and renegotiating the fees paid to the Local Fund Agents (LFA)
and other consultants. This process should be transparent and
accountable.

The civil society alliance APACHA India is the representative body of
Asian People's Alliance for Combating HIV&AIDS (APACHA) is lead by a
22 member Executive Committee.

Dr. Ashok Rau of Freedom Foundation is the Chairperson of APACHA
India for next one year. Other members in the team are: Vice-
President Noori Saleem, Vice- President Dr. Boby John, Secretary-
Mathew Mattam, Join Secretary- Sanghamitra Iyengar, Joint
Secretary- Namita Nanda, Treasurer Dr. Sanjeev Kumar.

APACHA INDIA <apachaindia@...>
http://www.apachanet.org/knowledge/news/apacha_india.php

UN and ASEAN: Financial Crisis will Impact Migration in Asia
 
Bangkok, 17 February 2009 “The global financial crisis may have a dramatic
impact on the lives of migrant workers in South East Asia, according to
officials at a recent meeting here on migration and HIV.

As the crisis unfolds, a two-way increase is expected in the movement of people:
overseas migrants returning home after losing their jobs, or those recently laid
off at home moving overseas in search of work.

As some countries may take increasingly protectionist stances, the options for
formal migration will narrow rapidly. Migrants abroad may face increasingly
difficult conditions, with fewer employment opportunities and may encounter
greater discrimination and stigmatization. This will lead to more undocumented
migrants, unsafe migration, and an increased possibility that migrant would find
themselves in situations that either put them at risk or make them more
vulnerable to HIV infection.
 
The financial crisis and multi-billion dollar economic stimulus packages being
put forward must not forget the faces and voices of migrants and mobile
populations who are among the most vulnerable�, said Ms Gwi-Yeop Son, the UN
Resident Coordinator in Thailand and the convener of the Joint UN initiative on
migration and HIV/AIDS in South East Asia in her welcome address.

These issues were discussed at a High Level Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on HIV
Prevention, Treatment, Care and Support for Migrants in the ASEAN Region which
was held on 12 – 13 February 2009, Bangkok, Thailand. The meeting brought
together for the first time high level government officials from the Ministries
of Foreign Affairs, Health and Labour from the 10 ASEAN Member States, Civil
Society Organisations (CSOs), UN agencies and the ASEAN Secretariat.

The main focus of the discussions was strategic interventions required to
safeguard the right to health of migrant workers, and especially their access to
HIV services throughout the migration cycle.

Ensuring universal access to HIV services for migrants is a major challenge in
the region.

The Ministry of Public Health in Thailand has recently initiated a health care
system for migrants, said Thailand's Permanent Secretary for Public Health Dr.
Prat Boonyawongvirot. Registered migrants are able to utilize health care
services from the existing services.

However there are still major gaps in reaching undocumented migrants with HIV
prevention, treatment and care interventions.

The convening of this High Level Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue is significant and
timely as it reaffirms the growing importance of migrant workers, who contribute
to the society and the economy of both receiving and sending states of ASEAN,
and their linkages to HIV transmission.

This is a good opportunity for key stakeholders to discuss strategic actions and
create an enabling policy environment that will make a difference in protecting
the rights and health of migrant workers,� said Dr. Soeung Rathchavy, Deputy
Secretary-General of ASEAN in her opening remarks.

Key recommendations from the meeting included:

* Ensure that HIV testing of migrants adheres to international standards
including informed consent, confidentiality and counseling;

* Put into place necessary policies and regulations that ensure that migrant
workers are protected and are not subjected to stigma and discrimination, and
have equal access to information, HIV treatment care and support.

* Review laws, policies and practices related to HIV-specific restrictions on
entry, stay and residence; and ensure that people living with HIV are no longer
excluded, detained or deported on the basis of HIV status.

* Strengthen and promote pre-departure and post-arrival orientation for migrant
workers on HIV risks and vulnerability and how they can access to health
services.

* Develop effective means for the return and reintegration of migrant workers
including proper referral to HIV treatment, care and support services.
 
These and other recommendations will be conveyed to the upcoming 14th ASEAN
Summit to be held from 27 February  to 1 March 2009, in Hua Hin, Thailand.

For further information please contact Marta Vallejo, e-mail
marta.vallejo@... or tel. +66847004912 or Dr Bounpheng Philavong at
bounpheng@...  tel.+62217243372

Cherie Hart
Regional Communications Advisor
UNDP Regional Centre in Bangkok
3rd Floor, UN Service Building
Rajdamnern Nok Avenue, Bangkok, Thailand
Tel.: +66 (2) 288 2133
Fax: +66 (2) 288 3032
URL:http://regionalcentrebangkok.undp.or.th



Pramod Kumar
e-mail: <pramod.kumar@...>

Indian Civil Society Unites in the Fight Against AIDS
 
A number of Indian civil society actors gathered together in Mumbai from 12th to
13th, February, 2009 to explore possibilities in creating common space for joint
actions towards developing a multisectoral HIV response in India.

Representatives from  Mumbai, Delhi, Karnataka, Orissa, Bangalore, Pune, Bihar,
Patna, Kohlapur, Nagpur, Chhenai, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh,
Chhatisghar and Manipur participated in the people's conference. Most of these
them represented networks and organizations of their respective states.

Members from INGOs, media, grassroots level networks, APACHA International
Secretariat and APACHA Executive Committee were also present.

The Conference formally launched APACHA India. APACHA India will be the
representative body of Asian People's Alliance for Combating HIV&AIDS (APACHA)
in India, which is a Federation of multisectoral Civil Society respose to HIV
and AIDS

An 22 member Executive Committee was formed to facilitate APACHA India and its
functions. Mr. Ashok Rao will lead the team as the chair for next one year.
Other members in the team are: Vice- President Noori Saleem, Vice- President Dr.
Boby John, Secretary- Mathew Mattam, Join Secretary- Sanghamitra Iyengar, Joint
Secretary- Namita Nanda, Treasurer  Dr. Sanjeev Kumar. The conference has
decided to initiate APACHA India process in each states of India within the next
six months.

Mr Mathew Mattam in his welcome speech said, "In India, though APACHA
initiatives were taking place since 2004, there were several ups and
downs. Finally, we the Indian civil society members are happy to formally launch
APACHA India which will be connected at the states and grassroots level. It will
be a part of APACHA International. This process will strengthen civil society
members coming together for a cause." He also mentioned about alliance building
meeting of APACHA in Pune in 2007 where a number of participants were willing to
be part of APACHA. "Based on people's aspirations APACHA India is finally
launched", added Mathew.

APACHA India has also finalized a resolution to submit to NACO and has
asked them to be serious in some of the issues such as, increasing
remuneration for peer outreach workers, establishing a multisectoral
exploratory working group with meaningful & expanded grass-root level
representation, exploring the appropriate direction of NACP 4. APACHA
India expressed, "We are concerned about the recent letter from the GF to the
CCM to cut the fund proposal across the programs by 10%. We strongly feel the
need for the Global Fund to apply the principles of equity while calling to
reduce resource allocation.

Resources addressing the weakest and most vulnerable should not be the target of
resource reduction. We request the Global Fund secretariat to also come out with
plans for reducing administrative cost of the Fund by outsourcing the non core
operation of the Global Fund and renegotiating the fees paid to the LFA and
consultants. This process should be transparent and accountable".

Acknowledging the efforts of NACO in responding to the epidemic, they
further asked NACO to be more serious about Multi sectoral approach and be
practical about the need of PLHIV, their treatment, care and support.

Addressing the conference, Dr. Joe Thomas, Chairperson of APACHA
International said, "This is high time for Indian civil society to come together
and take joint action." He further added, "Civil society as the legitimate and
strong force has capacity to provide alternatives and support the government
initiatives as well. Within these contexts, APACHA India will be a milestone in
creating a common space for every one to have their say and take collective
action to combat HIV&AIDS in India."

Mr. Prabodh Devkota, Asia Coordinator of APACHA International shared his
experiences in building APACHA as a vibrant network of Asia. Addressing the mass
he said, "We have practically experienced and witnessed that people can be
mobilized and multi- sectoral approach is possible." He added, "It is true that
we had a tough time to make things happen, nonetheless it has been possible.
With our collective dreams, collective passion, and political will to make
change happen, we have proved that things can be changed. But the fact is that
there are still more challenges and this is just the beginning of the journey."
He said, "The beginning of APACHA India is going to be a milestone for APACHA in
its attempts to address the causes and consequences of the epidemic in Asia".

The conference was focused to critically revisit the ongoing efforts to address
the epidemic in India, identify gaps and to address them. It also highlighted
the ongoing HIV&AIDS initiatives at the Asia level.

Participants expressed their serious concern about the impact of possible
economic crisis and warned the government and donors that the economic crisis
should not be an excuse for them to turn away from the promises they have made.

Based on the discussion, APACHA India has also developed its interim plan of
action. Towards the end, on behalf of the newly elected APACHA team, Mr. Ashok
Rao said, "As the first elected team of APACHA India, we would like to express
our commitment to strengthen APACHA India processes and to play an important and
critical role towards addressing the epidemic effectively in India." He further
said,"We are really happy to be part of one of the largest people's networks of
Asia".

Correspondence from Mumbai
APACHA News Desk
e-mail: <secretariat.asia@...>

http://www.apachanet.org/knowledge/news/apacha_india.php

Hi everybody,

I'm happy to let you know that the Staying Alive Foundation has just opened its
first 2009 call for proposals for grants that will be given out on 1st of June.
The deadline to apply is 6th of April.

The Staying Alive Foundation gives grants of up to US$12,000 to youth-led
projects around the world.

To download the application documents, go to

http://foundation.staying-alive.org/en/grants/applyjune09

If you have any questions about the application process or the grants, please do
not hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards,

Sara

Sara  Piot

Grant Manager
Staying Alive Foundation
Tel: +44 (0)207 478 6688
Fax: +44 (0)207 478 6517
www.staying-alive.org/foundation
e-mail: <Piot.Sara@...>

AIDS HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION - GLOBAL
Asia Pacific Bureau
Positions Vacant:

Country Program Coordinator,Logistics Coordinator,Maintenance worker
Location:  Kathmandu, Nepal
Application Deadline: February 15, 2009

Submission instructions:

To apply please e-mail your cover letter, resume, salary history and
contact details of two professional referees to
chinkholal.thangsing@....  Or by regular mail to:
AIDS Healthcare Foundation/ Asia Pacific Bureau Secretariat,
S-345, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi 110017

About AHF: AIDS Healthcare Foundation is the largest non - profit,
non-governmental HIVAIDS organization in the United States,
established in 1987. AHF specializes in providing HIVAIDS treatment,
medical care and currently provides life saving services to over
96,000 patients globally regardless of their ability to pay
currently. AHF works in 23 countries in Africa, Asia Pacific, South
Africa, Latin America and Caribbean. AHF is dedicated to the mission
of providing "cutting edge medicines and advocacy regardless of the
ability to pay".

AHF Global program provides technical assistance to and works in
partnership with governments, people living with HIV/AIDS, and local
stakeholders to establish sustainable, scalable, and replicable
HIV/AIDS treatment and care models. Web: www.aidshealth.org.
AHF Nepal Cares requires the following staff:

Position #1: Country Coordinator

Key Qualifications:
MBBS or MD from  recognized University with Public Health or
Graduate, Post graduate, MBA
At least 3 years experience in HIVAIDS
Possess adequate computer skills including internet, email
application, MS Office software, word, excel, PowerPoint.

Roles and Responsibilities:
Included the following and others as assigned:

Represent AHF at Nepal HIVIDS related meetings and
conferences.
Advocate AHF perspective on HIV/AIDS-related policy, laws,
and regulation
Liaise with Ministry of Health, NCASC, Collaborative ART
sites, PLHA networks, NGOs, INGOS and other key stakeholders and
report on regular basis.
Conduct survey, situation analysis, update APBC of the
HIVAIDS situation including government plans and policies of HIVAIDS
treatment and control of the country.
Conduct treatment preparedness workshop, training in
collaboration with NGOs and other Positive Groups on ART treatment
for HIV.
Operationalise projects at the collaborative sites, develop
program design, work plans and devise project planning materials for
AHF projects.
Monitor and report of changes in treatment services, monitor
quality of existing HIVAIDS service delivery of AHF collaborative
programs.
Conduct regular monitoring and evaluation of the project
outlined in the work plans and to keep APBC in formed of the quality,
relevance and other important issues of the projects to manage
effective implementation to achieve targets of the set objectives.
Regular reporting of the activities, progress and updates on
a weekly, monthly basis and a detailed quarterly report for AHF
consultations and reviews.
Responsible for the smooth function of AHF projects in Nepal.
Supervise and monitor work and activities of the staff and
ensure their diligence in their work.
And other task as assigned.

Position # 2:  Logistics Coordinator:
Key Qualifications:
Qualification in Logistics/Supply Chain Management
Understanding of budget development and monitoring;
Experience in logistics for the support of humanitarian,
recovery as well as   development programmes.
Experience in development and implementation of policies and
procedures

Roles and Responsibilities:
Include the following and other assigned:
Provide logistic and administrative support.
Responsible for maintaining database and files of the
organization, including all correspondence, leave record and periodic
reports.
Keeping records of the contractual status of all serving
staffs follow up actions on post extension, renewals, and
replacements.
Preparing formats and documents of new and extended contracts.
Responsible for organizing meetings and follow ups,
workshops, trainings, conferences arranging and carrying out
preliminary interviews of candidates and preparing presentations.
Compilation of project materials - newsletters, reports,
minutes of the meetings, resource and training materials.
Contribute to promotional activities such as special events,
newsletters and regular updating website, etc.
Maintain & update inventory of assets of the office
Responsible for screening correspondence. Draft and type
routine correspondence, memoranda and note for files.
Keep information of reference materials which allow retrieval.
Maintain and update mailing list of the office.
Maintain all travel related documents and arranging Visa,
Tickets, Hotel booking etc.
Manage all telephone calls and respond to queries raised and
also maintain long distance working relationships via email and
telephone.
Liaise with AHF administrative office staffs on the whole
range of logistical support activities when necessary.
Manage finance flow of the office and preparer monthly
financial reports.
Submit all documentation to necessary standards and deadline
in accordance with policies and practice.
Prepared to respond to the emergency situation, particularly
out of hours.

Position # 3:  Maintenance worker
Roles and Responsibilities:
Includes the following and other duties may be assigned.

Maintain cleanliness of the office and premises
Maintain the office equipments such as photocopier, scanner,
printers and computers.
Keeping Stock of complete office stationeries, supervision of
housekeeping items.
Work related to bank e.g. Withdrawal, making draft, Income
Tax return etc.
Preparation of purchase orders in coordination with finance
section
Library Maintenance i.e. books, audio visual materials,
information booklets
Maintaining attendance and office visitors register
Independently handling the dispatch.
Compensation and Benefits:
As comparable to other International NGOs.
Additional Information:
A probation period of six months.
People living with HIV/AIDS are encouraged to apply.

AHF is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.

It does not discriminate against employees or applicants on the basis
of race, color, sex, gender, religion, creed, national and ethnic
origin, age, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, or any
other legally protected status.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews
Selected candidate must be available to begin work in March
2009.

Dr Chinkholal Thangsing
Asia Pacific Bureau Chief
AIDS Healthcare Foundation Global
S 345 Panchsheel Park
New Delhi 110017 India
T: +91-11-468 668 00
D:+91-11- 468 668 02
F: +91-11-468 668 13
C:+ 91-98 182 7068 7
chinkholal.thangsing@...
W:www.aidshealth.org

GLOBAL: Global Fund facing shortfall

Photo: Allan Gichigi/IRIN

The Fund is now supporting ARV treatment for two million people with
HIV around the world

JOHANNESBURG, 6 February 2009 (PlusNews) - The Global Fund to Fight
AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which supplies one-quarter of all
AIDS funding, is facing a funding gap of US$5 billion.

Unless donors step up their commitments to the multilateral fund,
grant amounts will be reduced by 25 percent during the second half
of their five-year duration.

The Global Fund's Head of Communications, Jon Lidén, emphasised that
the shortfall was not related to the global economic downturn but
was part of a demand for assistance to combat AIDS, tuberculosis
(TB) and malaria that was increasing every year. "We're a victim of
our own success," he said.

The approval of new grants, combined with the renewal of existing
grants that have performed well, has seen the Global Fund's budget
more than double from just under $2 billion in 2007 to $5.1 billion
in 2008.

"This is a trend that will continue," Lidén told IRIN/PlusNews. "The
new size of the [Global] Fund is around $8 billion a year." However,
for the period 2008 to 2010, donors have so far only committed $10
billion.

At least a portion of the shortfall is expected to be made up by the
United States, which has yet to finalise its 2009 budget. Incoming
President Barack Obama has promised to honour and even increase
commitments to development aid.

Lidén said the Global Fund had requested $2.7 billion from the US
for 2010 - about a third of the Fund's budget. Given the current
economic crisis in the country, he said they were "realistic, but
hopeful" that the request would be met.
"We think we have a very strong case in a situation where the US is
strapped for money because we can show efficiency and measure the
effectiveness of each dollar," he said. "This is aid that works."

The Global Fund was founded in 2001 with the goal of streamlining
funding to combat AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria in developing
countries, and is now supporting antiretroviral treatment for two
million people with HIV around the world. It also provides two-
thirds of all tuberculosis funding and three-fourths of malaria
funding.

In November 2008, the Global Fund's board imposed a 10
percent "efficiency gain" on all new grants. Grantees were
encouraged to look for ways to maximise efficiency, for example, by
negotiating better prices for drugs and mosquito nets, and reducing
non-essential expenses. The Board also introduced a cap on the
amount that grants could be increased upon renewal.

Lidén said the 25 percent reduction of grant amounts in the final
three years of their funding cycle would immediately be lifted if
donors increased their commitments and eliminated the funding
shortfall.

Despite the global financial crisis, with the exception of Italy, no
countries were considering reducing their contributions, he
added. "There's a strong commitment to maintaining development
assistance, and a few countries are indicating they will increase
their commitments."

ks/he
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/8106435cf16e9173969f09b2949e10ea.h\
tm

Asia Pacific Law Enforcement Called On in Fight Against HIV/AIDS

By Ron Corben, Bangkok, 05 February 2009

A special United Nations conference has called for police and law
enforcement from Asia and the Pacific region to assist in the fight
against the spread of AIDS. But speakers acknowledge a wide array of
challenges in both raising awareness in the police ranks as well as
the wider community.

The United Nations joint program on HIV and AIDS has turned to the
region's police forces in the Asia-Pacific region in its fights
against the spread of the disease.

At a three-day conference of 15 Asia-Pacific countries, the focus was
to boost cooperation between law enforcement and networks of people
living with HIV, as well as marginalized and vulnerable communities.

Across South and Southeast Asia there are almost five million adults
and children infected with the virus that leads to AIDS, with the
highest number in India.

In India's West Bengal state, Police Inspector General Soumen Mitra
says altering general perceptions surrounding HIV/AIDS within police
ranks remains a key challenge.

"As part of the community police endeavor in some areas we have
initiated programs by which are incorporated non-government
organizations working in these fields. So that we ourselves as police
officers and police personnel bring about some change in our own
attitude and we know how to serve this sort of people at risk," said
Mitra.

Mitra says state police are working with non-government organizations
in programs "aimed at changing attitudes" held by police forces about
HIV/AIDS.

In the Pacific Islands, police commissioners and chiefs from the 21
regional states are undertaking programs to raise awareness among law-
enforcement officers, especially as an increasing number are being
called for active duty as international peacekeepers in distant
countries.

HIV/AIDS human rights project manager with the New Zealand police,
Janine Monahan, says breaking down social barriers is essential.

"We are going into an area where the 'public-private divide' is
starting to shift," said Monahan. "You can imagine talking about sex
and condom use. What we are now saying is that it cannot be private
anymore because it is actually going to affect our police forces. If
they get sick, if they infect their family, it actually is going to
affect the community."

In Malaysia, Datuk Mohd Zaman Khan, a former Malaysian commissioner
of police and now vice president of the Malaysian AIDS Council, says
police involvement in social support is key as the incidence of
HIV/AIDS is rising in the community.

"In Malaysia, the problem of HIV is comparatively new to the police
department. In the sense that harm reduction was not put into sort of
full gear until about four or five years ago. It was treated very
confidentially. But now the HIV is becoming an epidemic it has come
to the open and therefore the police department is beginning to be
involved," said Zaman Khan.

About 5,700 Malaysians are reported infected with HIV.

But in the largely Muslim country barriers to fighting the disease
remain. Issues of homosexuality and stringent laws against heroin
trafficking keep many people at risk of infection from seeking help.

In response, Malaysia has implemented such programs as needle and
syringe exchanges under a series of pilot projects.

http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-02-05-voa53.cfm

Tackling Indonesia's HIV spread

By Lucy Williamson,BBC News, Jakarta: 2 February 2009

It is 0400 at Jakarta's main HIV hospital and Dendy Hikmah is waiting for the
doctor.

Appointments are running late. Dendy sits in the overcrowded waiting room and
flicks through his medicine file - anti-retroviral treatment, methadone,
anti-depressants.

A few years ago, Dendy would never have imagined himself here. Most likely he
would have been injecting himself with heroin or looking for money to buy it -
unaware that he was HIV-positive,  clueless about the complex anti-retroviral
treatment he is receiving  now.

"I remember the first time I came here," he said. "I was so scared."  "Back
then, it was all about the drugs. I'd already lost my car, my girlfriend,
everything that mattered to me. No-one trusted me. I was like a criminal in my
own house."

But the fact that Dendy is here talking to doctors and not shooting up on the
street is very interesting to Indonesia.  It has just been given $130m (£95m)
by the Global Fund to fight HIV and Aids - the largest slice of HIV funding the
country has ever had. It wants to use the money to tackle the epidemic across
the 12 worst-hit provinces. But to do it, it needs to get marginalised groups
like drug users and sex workers into clinics like this one.

Community outreach

The man who got Dendy off heroin and into the health system is Putra.  He works
for an outreach project called Kios Atmajaya, funded  mainly by the US
government. Once a week, he goes to a small community called Kampung Boncos -
known to his colleagues as "The Bronx".

It is a slum of several thousand people clustered around a rubbish dump. Job
prospects are not good - salvaging rubbish, selling sex.

The crime rate is sky-high and around half the young people are thought to use
drugs. It is an HIV crucible.

Putra arrives on schedule and puts a few empty pots on the ground by his
motorbike. A small crowd lines up to fill them with used needles.

In return, they get a box of clean ones, some condoms and a chat  about HIV.

"It is quite hard in the beginning," said Putra. "It takes almost a year to make
people understand what I'm doing. Like Dendy - he was a hardcore addict,
injecting at least three times a day."  "But I also used to buy drugs here, so
it's easier for people to trust me - we speak the same language, there are no
barriers."

Ambitious plans

This is the model Indonesia wants to adopt. And the fact that it does is a big
step forward.

The epidemic here is concentrated in hard-to-reach populations - sex workers,
drug users, men who have sex with men. Those groups have not always been
well-targeted in the past. In fact, most people here - even in government -
would prefer not to see or talk about them.

That is something the head of Indonesia's National Aids Commission, Nafsiyah
Mboi, is acutely aware of.  "When I got this appointment everyone said
'Congratulations, this is not an easy job', so I was prepared," she said.  It is
now her job to co-ordinate the new programme across three  national agencies
and 72 districts, in a hugely populated and decentralised country. And that, she
says, is not easy.

"I'm from the old order, right? So if we say 'A' in Jakarta, 'A' goes down all
the way to the family level. That's not possible anymore; we have to do advocacy
with each and every one."

To reach 72 districts across such a diverse and enormous country is ambitious.

'Spread thinly'

Bob Magnani is country head of Family Health International, the organisation
that runs the project in Kampung Boncos. Training government workers in the
health sector is one thing, he says, but when you are trying to mobilise local
community NGOs to access these high-risk groups, that is quite another.

"Indonesia does not have a history of NGOS," he said. "In some outlying
provinces there are very few NGOs - much less with experience and skills to be
effective in the short run."

"One of the big dangers with Global Fund - with its vast amounts of money and
ambitions to cover many, many provinces - is that you spread the resources very
thinly. 

"And we know from the history of dealing with infectious diseases that you have
to have to attack the point of transmission very aggressively, concentrate your
resources at those key hotspots."

In some ways, Indonesia needs to think big. This is a vast country of 240
million people; hotspots are by their nature much bigger than they are
elsewhere.

The country aims to reach 80% of people in those hotspots, and effect what it
calls "behaviour change" in 60%. But what does "reaching" a person, or
"behaviour change" actually mean?

Changing habits

One of the women lining up in Kampung Boncos to swap needles with Putra is Lia.
She is a sex worker who injects heroin. Free needles and free condoms are great,
she says, but she does not always use them.  "I'm trying hard, but there have
been two or three times recently when I shared," she said.

"We're frightened of the police," she explained. "They know we're drug users and
if they search us and find a needle - even a sterile one - they can arrest us."

Recent data suggests that more than half of all injecting drug users in
Indonesia are HIV-positive.  But it also suggests that the epidemic may have
peaked, and the  virus is now spreading faster through sexual contact. So, does
Lia use  a condom every time she sleeps with a client?

"For me, yes, but my guests don't always want to. And I need money," she
answers.

Indonesia has made big changes over the past few years. It has got better data
on the spread of HIV and is starting to  plan programmes that target the hidden
communities where the epidemic  is based. But a lot of the new energy is coming
from Jakarta, and in Indonesia's decentralised system, it will be local leaders,
local  networks and local stigmas that decide what happens on the ground.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7845552.stm

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

The NGO delegation to the UNITAID Board is looking for a new Alternate NGO Board
member (unpaid position) Closing date: MONDAY 2ND MARCH 2009 (1PM GMT)
(Applications to RDoble@...)

Please see full terms of reference and application process annexed below and in
attached document but below is summary:

About UNITAID:

UNITAID is an international institution working against AIDS, TB and malaria.
Its main job is to reduce the prices of drugs and diagnostics used in the
treatment of HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria, in order to make easier to provide
treatment for more people. Since its inception, UNITAID has generated a 50%
reduction in the price of the most expensive HIV medicines.

To learn more about UNITAID, please visit www.unitaid.eu

The Position:


The NGO delegation to the Executive Board of UNITAID (www.unitaid.eu) is looking
to appoint a new Alternate Board Member to represent NGOs.

The alternate will work with the NGO board member, liaison officer and advisory
group to work to represent not themselves or their organisation, but the whole
constituency of NGOs involved in the fight against the three diseases.
Therefore, delegates need to be in regular interaction with other people in
their constituency who follow the specific issues that UNITAID deals with, and
to receive from them input to convey to the UNITAID Board, as well as give them
feedback about what is going on in UNITAID.

The term of service is two years (March/April 2009-2011) and the next Executive
Board Meeting will be May 2009. Please note this is an unpaid position but
travel costs will be covered by the UNITAID Secretariat.

How to apply:

1: Send in your application

Candidates to become the new NGO alternate board member will submit a concise
application (only the first 5 pages in the application will be considered) that
contains the following:

Filled-out Application Form (maximum 2 pages – see form below and attached)

Short Narrative (maximum 2 pages) outlining your understanding of UNITAID and
your vision for its future; your NGO or community linkages, in terms of relevant
experience (particularly in southern and developing countries); and the most
significant capabilities you would bring to the Board that address the specified
criteria (see criteria below and attached).

Short Curriculum Vitae (CV) outlining experience (maximum 1 page)

Attached to the application needs to be:

1 letter of reference from your own organization, or closest affiliated
organization, agreeing to the 25% workload and international travel involved (1
page only).

2 letters of reference from relevant organizations other than your own (1 page
per reference letter only);

The reference letters must be signed and on letterhead. Note that only the 3
references requested will be utilized, additional letters will not be
considered.

Please email applications to:
Robert Doble
UNITAID Board Civil Society Delegations Liaison Officer
E-mail: rdoble@...
Tel: +44.1865.473.508


2: Confirmation of short listing

The UNITAID Civil Society Delegations Liaison Officer will contact short listed
candidates to set dates for a phone interview with the selection panel.

3: Telephone interview

The UNITAID Civil Society Delegations Liaison Officer will arrange a telephone
conference with the selection panel; the panel members will ask you questions
about yourself, UNITAID, its intervention areas, and Board member work. When all
the short listed candidates have been interviewed, the panel with deliberate and
come to a decision.

Step 4: Get the results

The Liaison Officer will notify the selected candidate, and announce it on a
great variety of constituency listserves (see list in annexed documents
attached).

ANNEX 1: SELECTION CRITERIA FOR THE NGO ALTERNATE BOARD MEMBER


Based on the UNITAID Board functions, the selection panel for the NGO Alternate
Board member will look for the following qualities in candidates:

UNITAID-specific requirements:
Essential:

- Technical knowledge of issues related to access to drugs and diagnostics in
developing countries, and especially market-related issues: prices, quality,
formulation adaptedness, delivery lead times, demand sustainabilization, etc.
- Understanding of blockages to treatment access scale-up, and of the role of
commodity market problems in these blockages (at global or national level)
- In-depth knowledge of the needs of people living with the diseases, especially
from a gender and vulnerability perspective, and of issues facing NGOs fighting
the diseases (at global of national level)

Desirable:
- Understanding of HIV, TB and malaria commodity procurement and supply issues
(at global of national level)
- Understanding of the political environment of global health initiatives
including UNITAID, Global Fund, International Health Partnership, PEPFAR and
GAVI, and of issues related to financing for development (at global of national
level)
- Understanding of intellectual property determinants of access to health
products (at global of national level)

Requirements common to Boards of all global fight initiative:
Essential:
- Has time and ability to carry out the tasks derived from his/her role as a
Board member
- Possess written assurance from employer regarding availability of up to 25% of
working time for Board related duties for at least 2 years.
- Fluent in written and spoken English (additional languages are preferred)*
- Knows how to work via computer and email
- Has strong experience in advocacy work
- Has influence/negotiation skills, as well as strategic thinking, ability to
prioritize
- Is able and willing to recognize gaps in own abilities when new work
requirements arise, and to seek out and enlist outside help in order to fill
these gaps
- Is able to act within a team setting
- Is significantly rooted in an organization that can facilitate communication
and liaison, as well as provide consultation and support
-  Has minimum 3 years experience in civil society work in 1 or more of the 3
disease areas
-  Is gender and vulnerability sensitive; has good skills in gender and
vulnerability analysis
-  Continuous access to internet-connected computer and international telephone

Desirable:
- Has experience of campaigning and media work
- Ability to speak multiple languages (especially French)


* UNITAID Board documentation will generally be provided in English (large
volume), and group discussions will be in English.


Length of terms:

The solicited position is for 2 years (with possibility to apply for vacant
Board member position)

The position is subject to a performance review that is conducted on a yearly
basis, which outcomes are binding and may cause either the Alternate or the
Board Member to have to step down

Previous experience with the Delegation and participation in Civil Society
Advisory Group and Civil Society Contact Group is an asset

A Call to Join the Contact Group will be issued annually through relevant
listserves to encourage future candidates to get involved in the delegation’s
work before applying for the Board position.

Membership is however always open to anyone interested in joining by contacting
the Liaison Officer.

Board Member and Alternate select members of the Civil Society Advisory Group
through an informal assessment process based on expressed interest and
commitment to UNITAID and the civil society delegations’ and the necessary
level of expertise.

The selected candidate is expected to continue support to the Delegation after
the end of his/her 2-year mandate at the Board

This process is intended to ensure that selected candidates are well versed in
the mechanics of UNITAID, prepared to effectively represent NGOs at the UNITAID
Executive Board and are willing to share their expertise after the end of term.

ANNEX 2: FULL TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE POSITION

An NGO member of the UNITAID Board represents the viewpoint and needs of NGOs
involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria, concerning the UNITAID
and the issues it deals with (see background information about UNITAID).

In particular, UNITAID NGO Board members actively promote UNITAID decisions
that:
1. Respond to the needs of people living with the diseases, NGOs fighting the
diseases, and programs to provide care to people living with the diseases;
2. Lead to responsible and efficient use of the resources channelled through
UNITAID, and through other channels as well;
3. Have a positive impact on resources available to pre-existing essential
institutions fighting the three diseases, such as the Global Fund;
4. Advance the global fight against the three diseases, through facilitating the
use of compulsory licensing of drug patents to ensure generic competition in the
market for HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria drugs and diagnostics; financing UNITAID
through additional funding; and supporting evidence-based, comprehensive HIV
prevention programs for all;
5. Maximize the accountability of UNITAID to people living with the diseases, to
NGOs fighting the diseases, and to programs providing care to people living with
the diseases.


The role of an Alternate is that of a volunteer - there is no payment for
participating.  Travel and per diem costs are covered by the UNITAID
Secretariat. Previous NGO Board members have found that the position can demand
25 to 50% of their working time.

Board Functions
For a full list of Board Functions please take a look at UNITAID’s Bylaws and
Constitution which can be found at
http://www.unitaid.eu/index.php/en/Governance.html

Determine, modify, and approve UNITAID’s objectives, scope and workplan;
Consider, approve, monitor partnership arrangements with other organizations and
institutions
Nominate and participate in the performance review of the Executive Secretary
Monitor UNITAID’s progresses and approve its annual report
Review the annual financial statement prepared by the Secretariat and approve
the budget
Establish conditions for additional donors and other contributions
Approve financial commitments
Set operational guidelines, work plans and budgets for Secretariat and Expert
Advisory Group
Establish a framework for monitoring and periodic independent evaluation of
performance and financial accountability of activities supported by UNITAID
Monitor conflict of interest and transparency policies as appropriate
Develop and implement strategic agenda regarding UNITAID in consultation with
NGO constituency;
Represent the NGO constituency on policy, strategy, and implementation issues
regarding UNITAID
Participate in committees and working groups of the Board.

Mandate and working methods
Participate fully in all meetings of the UNITAID Executive Board, including
Board retreats
Read all relevant documents prior to a Board Meeting to ensure effective input
in the decision-making process
Participate in teleconferences and other means of communications among NGO
delegation and Communities Delegation, NGO community, networks and other
Executive Board delegations
Vote on all necessary electronic Board decisions
Maintain a focus on issues of interest and importance to the community and NGO
movements
Seek input from the constituency on issues being considered by the Board prior
to its meeting;
Consult with and report to a broader community of NGOs and CBOs and communities
living with or affected by HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis before and after
Board meetings
Represent the interests of UNITAID as necessary, both within the constituency
and to external stakeholders

*Main language of UNITAID and the NGO delegation is English, and group
discussions will be in English but many discussions and large volume of
documentation also in French.

Cessation of Appointment
An NGO (Alternate) Board member will cease to be a member if:
He/she resigns;
He/she no longer has an employer who is supportive of the time commitment
required or he/she no longer has links to the organizations that secured his/her
nomination and/or selection to the Board;
He/she is unable to perform the agreed upon tasks;
He/she is unable to work with the other NGO Board members as part of a team;
The outcomes of the performance review is that the person’s term is
discontinued, or
If a conflict of interest is declared.

ANNEX 3: LISTSERVES WHERE RESULTS WILL BE POSTED

The result of the selection, as well as the composition of the panel, will be
announced (1 month maximum after the application closing date) through the
following listserves.

ANNEX 4: APPLICATION FORM

APPLICATION FORM
to join the NGO delegation to UNITAID as Alternate Board member

Applicants will answer the following questions:

Name

Country/city where you live

Organisation of affiliation: name and short description.

Position in organisation

Issues, diseases or populations about which you work focuses

Age

Gender

Email(s) and telephone number(s)


There are 4 to 5 UNITAID meetings per year: will you be able to reserve 2 to 3
days days prior to each meeting for preparation (not counting travel)?

Between UNITAID meetings, will you be able to spend an average 5 hours per week
on your Board-related duties?

Are you fluent in spoken and written English ? Will it be easy for you to make
written and spoken comments on Board documents ?

Do you work well via computer and email ?

Please describe your knowledge or experience in the following areas, using
examples:

Access to drugs and diagnostics in developing countries, and especially
market-related issues: prices, quality, formulation adaptedness, delivery lead
times, demand sustainabilization, etc.

The blockages to treatment access scale-up, and of the role of commodity market
problems in these blockages (at global or national level)

The needs of people living with the HIV/AIDS, TB and/or Malaria, especially from
a gender and vulnerability perspective, and of issues facing NGOs fighting the
diseases (at global of national level)

HIV, TB and malaria commodity procurement and supply issues (at global of
national level)

The political environment of global health initiatives including UNITAID, Global
Fund, International Health Partnership, PEPFAR and GAVI, and of issues related
to financing for development (at global of national level)

Intellectual property determinants of access to health products (at global of
national level)

Advocacy work (please give examples of targets, issues, methods)

Any additional knowledge or experience area that you feel might be particularly
relevant for this work

[PLEASE DO NOT EXPAND THIS APPLICATION FORM, ONCE FILLED OUT, FURTHER THAN THE
CURRENT 2 PAGES, NOR REDUCE THE FONT SIZE.]

Rob Doble
Liaison officer, Civil Society Delegation to UNITAID Board
Research officer, Access to Essential Services, Oxfam GB
Telephone: +44 (0)1865 473508
Mobile:  +44 (0)7825 215849
Email: RDoble@...
Skype: 'robdoble'

HIV prevalence and risk behaviour among men who have sex with men in
Vientiane Capital, Lao People's Democratic Republic, 2007

Sheridan, Saraha; Phimphachanh, Chansyb; Chanlivong, Niramonha;
Manivong, Sisavathb; Khamsyvolsvong, Soda; Lattanavong, Phonesayb;
Sisouk, Thongchanhb; Toledo, Carlosc; Scherzer, Marthad; Toole,
Mikea; van Griensven, Fritsc,d

Correspondence to Dr Frits van Griensven, South East Asia Regional
Office, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ministry of
Public Health, Department of Disease Control Building 7, Nonthaburi
11000, Thailand. E-mail: fav1@...
AIDS:Volume 23(3)28 January 2009p 409-414

Abstract

Background: Men who have sex with men are at high risk for HIV
infection. Here we report the results of the first assessment of HIV
prevalence and risk behaviour in this group in Vientiane, Lao
People's Democratic Republic.

Methods: Between August and September 2007, 540 men were enrolled
from venues around Vientiane, using venue-day-time sampling. Men of
Lao nationality, 15 years and over, reporting oral or anal sex with a
man in the previous 6 months were eligible for participation.

Demographic and socio-behavioural information was self-collected
using hand-held computers. Oral fluid was tested for HIV infection.
Logistic regression was used to evaluate risk factors for prevalent
HIV infection.

Results: The median age of participants was 21 years; the HIV
prevalence was 5.6%. Of participants, 39.6% reported exclusive
attraction to men and 57.6% reported sex with women. Of those who
reported having regular and nonregular sexual partner(s) in the past
3 months, consistent condom use with these partners was 14.4 and
24.2%, respectively. A total of 42.2% self-reported any sexually
transmitted infection symptoms and 6.3% had previously been tested
for HIV. Suicidal ideation was reported by 17.0%, which was the only
variable significantly and independently associated with HIV
infection in multivariate analysis.

Conclusion: Although the HIV prevalence is low compared with
neighbouring countries in the region, men who have sex with men in
Lao People's Democratic Republic are at high behavioural risk for HIV
infection. To prevent a larger HIV epidemic occurrence and
transmission into the broader community, higher coverage of HIV
prevention interventions is required.

An 11-Year Surveillance of HIV Type 1 Subtypes in Nagoya, Japan

Seiichiro Fujisaki, Shiro Ibe, Junko Hattori, Urara Shigemi, Saeko
Fujisaki, Kayoko Shimizu, Kazuyo Nakamura, Yoshiyuki Yokomaku, Naoto
Mamiya, Makoto Utsumi, Motohiro Hamaguchi, Tsuguhiro Kaneda. AIDS
Research and Human Retroviruses. January 1, 2009, 25(1): 15-21.
doi:10.1089/aid.2008.0056.

Clinical Research Center, National Hospital Organization Nagoya
Medical Center (Tokai Area Central Hospital for AIDS Treatment and
Research), Nagoya, Aichi 460-0001, Japan.

Abstract

To monitor active HIV-1 transmission in Nagoya, Japan, we have been
determining the subtypes of HIV-1 infecting therapy-naive individuals
who have newly visited the Nagoya Medical Center since 1997.

The subtypes were determined by phylogenetic analyses using the base
sequences in three regions of the HIV-1 genes including gag p17, pol
protease (PR) and reverse transcriptase (RT), and env C2V3. Almost
all HIV-1 subtypes from 1997 to 2007 and 93% of all HIV-1 isolates in
2007 were subtype B. HIV-1 subtypes A, C, D, and F have been detected
sporadically since 1997, almost all in Africans and South Americans.

The first detected circulating recombinant form (CRF) was CRF01_AE
(11-year average annual detection rate, 7.7%). Only two cases of
CRF02_AG were detected in 2006. A unique recombinant form (URF) was
first detected in 1998 and the total number of URFs reached 25 by
year 2007 (average annual detection rate, 4.7%).

Eleven of these 25 were detected from 2000 to 2005 and had subtypes
AE/B/AE as determined by base sequencing of the gag p17, pol PR and
RT, and env C2V3 genes (average annual detection rate, 3.7%). Unique
subtype B has been detected in six cases since 2006. All 17 of these
patients were Japanese.

Other recombinant HIV-1s have been detected intermittently in eight
cases since 1998. During the 11-year surveillance, most HIV-1s in
Nagoya, Japan were of subtype B. We expect that subtype B HIV-1 will
continue to predominate for the next several years. Active
recombination between subtype B and CRF01_AE HIV-1 and its
transmission were also shown.

Dear Colleagues;

Another hero in the AIDS movement Ramesh Venkatraman has moved  on!!

[Mr. Ramesh Venkataraman passed away on Saturday evening due to
internal haemorrhage. He was suffering from multiple illnesses. His
body was cremated on Sunday at 11 a.m in Delhi]

I have received the very sad  news of the sadden death of Ramesh
Venkataraman, the former Actionaid Asia HIV&AIDS regional
coordinator. Ramesh joined Actionaid in April 2007 till he resigned
his post at the close of 2008.

Over the last two years I have worked with Ramesh, he touched my
heart and become literally my younger brother. He had a special place
in my heart and will for long have a special place in my heart. We
shared in depth both  official and personal challenges and
opportunities.

Ramesh had a deep passion for his work and a special love for
Actionaid, he always stood for Human Rights and fought injustice
straight on, but his health frustrated him more and more as the days
passed by. He always told me how much he knew of his abilities, but
was getting more and more frustrated by his physical strength failing
him.  He feared to fail the team  he loved so much, he had a sense of
responsibility that often drove him into tears of pain and hope
depending on the context.

Ramesh was immensely intelligent with super advocacy, media, camera,
drama, Information technology skills, and a rich humorous language,
something that fate never allowed him to fully utilise.

When we last met physically in Delhi , Ramesh informed me that he
feared his body was giving up. He resigned about two weeks
thereafter. We kept in touch on and off although the phone lines were
often not really friendly.   Last time Ramesh and I talked on phone
briefly he was very hopeful following  a  knee surgery.

But like my mother often told me, when a patient gives you a lot of
hope, then you know it is about time to prepare for the worst. Human
life, she always told me, lives on hope and it is hope that must keep
you going till you rest at the end.

There is something else I learnt from the comrades of the African
National Congress (ANC) and the Peoples Liberation Army of Namibia
(PLAN) at college in Uganda, during the anti-apartheid struggles. "DO
NOT MORN, COMRADES, MOBILISE !",  was the slogan that kept them
moving during tough times .

I am seeking of each and every one of  the global aids movement
across the world, to use this time of reflection to mobilize even
more to deal with HIV/AIDS  and improve our health.

Please keep the fire that Ramesh left behind burning so that we can
deliver whatever he left behind not yet done. Let us complete the
struggle for human rights passionately as he would have loved too.

May his soul rest in eternal peace.

Aluta Continua!

Solidarity!!

Leonard Okello
e-mail: <Leonard.Okello@...>

AIDS Patients Forced to Leave Monastery

The Irrawaddy. Thursday, January 22, 2009

Authorities have forced 35 people living with HIV/AIDS to leave a monastery in
Rangoon where they were receiving free treatment, according to sources close to
the monastery.

A caregiver at the monastery told The Irrawaddy that on Tuesday, local
authorities ordered the patients to move to the Wai Bar Gi Infectious Diseases
Hospital in Rangoon's North Okkalapa Township. However, only 26 of the patients
went to the hospital, the source said.

The patients, including two young children, were from various parts of Burma and
were too poor to go to a hospital, the source said. He added that some were
receiving antiretroviral (ARV) drugs at the monastery, but were not in such
serious condition that they needed to be hospitalized.

Another source said that authorities inspecting construction on an extension of
the monastery told the abbot that the unauthorized "guests" were not permitted
to stay. The abbot now fears that his monastery will be shut down, the source
added.

In October 2007, following the monk-led protests known as the Saffron
Revolution, the authorities raided Maggin Monastery in Rangoon's Thingangyun
Township and expelled its resident monks. The monastery, which also provided
free healthcare to people with HIV/AIDS, was suspected of harboring social
activists.

The abbot of the monastery, U Indaka, was sentenced to more than 20 years
imprisonment for his involvement in the Saffron Revolution.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=14974

Cross posted from HIM. The blog version of [him] is at http://him.civiblog.org

Invitation: Meeting on   National alliance building for multicultural
response to HIV in India: Challenges and opportunities.
MUMBAI 12th and 13th February 2009.
http://www.apachanet.org/

Dear Friends

Recognizing the problem of HIV/AIDS facing the country today and
given the fact that several actors are engaged in addressing the
problem locally, regionally, nationally and internationally; a need
was felt to build a national alliance of various groups and movements
to consolidate and synthesize the efforts and energies of agencies to
create a significant, discernible and tangible impact at the national
level.

With this reason Asian People's Alliance to combat HIV/AIDS
(APACHA)   a broad Asian regional alliance that brings together
people from various walks of life was formally launched.
http://www.apachanet.org/

APACHA, the largest HIV social movement in Asia, acknowledges the facts that HIV
& AIDS poses political, economic, human rights and governance challenge in the
region. Thus, until every facet of society is mobilized, the battle is not
possible.

APACHA attempts to bring likeminded agencies such as trade
unions, student unions, human rights networks, women's rights
networks, lawyers, sex workers networks, MSM networks, media,
academia, Dalits rights networks, land rights movements, indigenous
groups, people living with HIV & AIDS to work together.

The main aim of this alliance is to facilitate and support –
democratic-social and political mobilizations locally, nationally and
internationally and build alliances to effectively address issues
related to the causes and consequences of HIV & AIDS.

A national meeting is called by like minded organizations from
various walks of life to discuss the issues related to NACP III and
role of civil society in the planning of NACP IV, Civil society
engagements and representation in Global Fund decision making
processes, need to expand priorities in critical issues such as fund
utilization for most vulnerable sections in society and staff
retrenchment of most needy during this global financial crisis.

We are proposing a meeting in MUMBAI on 12th and 13th February2009,
Sarvodaya, St. Pius Campus, Goregaon, Mumbai.

More details about the venue and schedule will be informed as soon as
you confirm the participation.

The organizers will take care of the boarding and lodging while the
participants will have to bear the cost of travel.

The meeting also will end up with formal National alliance formation
including multi sector participation of all those people who are
involved such as women's groups, youth groups, health workers, CBOs
of IDUs, CBOs of MSM groups and people living with HIV/AIDS.

We seek your participation to make the meeting. We hope to begin the
meeting by 10.30 am on 12th and will conclude after lunch on 13th
February.  Kindly confirm your participation.

Please send Response to <apachaindia@...>.

Sincerely,

For APACHA India Organizing Committee
CYDA- Pune for APACHA India
http://www.apachanet.org/

If more information required please contact Mathew +91- 9373308126
or by e-mail: <apachaindia@...>.

Dear Friends,

I'm working to enlist events for World Community Arts Day, being held "live" and
on the Internet on February 17, 2009. A number of groups and individuals from
around the world have signed up to participate, and you can see more at the url
below.

http://www.communiversity.org.uk/worldcommunityartsday.htm

Members of ActALIVE (www.actalive.org), an international coalition of
individuals and organizations using arts and media to address HIV/AIDS and the
MDGs, will be taking part. It would be inspiring and illuminating for others
using arts to address HIV/AIDS and health issues to take part too.

Please contact me (kaippg@...) or the head organizer of WCAD, Andrew
Crummy, who can be reached at andrewcrummy@... or
andrew@....

One thing the organizers are working on is a series of radio and audio events.
An Internet radio station based in Northern Ireland, Homely Planet
(www.homelyplanet.org), will be developing a special broadcast for the day

Any ideas for an audio collaboration for radio are welcome. Something simple
would be fine: for example, someone from Northern Ireland could email their own
poem to someone in Kenya, who could record themselves reading it out for
broadcast. And other way around.

People can email MP3's to Darren Ferguson, Homely Planet Team, at this gmail
address: homelyplanet@....

Please join us in celebrating World Community Arts Day on February 17th!  Thanks
so much!

Janet Feldman

ActALIVE and KAIPPG International
www.kaippg.org
e-mail: kaippg@...

Hi

Re: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS_ASIA/message/1466

It appears that Frika Chia is referring to the Leadership and
Accountability & UNAIDS staff !?  If it is so, this concern was already
echoed by the Lancet

"More immediately, many feel UNAIDS needs a major overhaul—that it
needs to be smaller, leaner, far better managed, and more open to
uncertainty and debate. One expert told The Lancet, "there is a
widespread perception that previous appointments and promotions were
due largely to perceived individual loyalty to the outgoing Executive
Director". He suggests that all major positions should be re-competed
on merit, with an open selection process and an emphasis on
recruiting the best, most qualified, most objective scientific
specialists. (Pam Das , Udani Samarasekera 2008)

Pam Das , Udani Samarasekera (2008) What next for UNAIDS? The Lancet,
Volume 372, Issue 9656, Pages 2099 - 2102, 20 December
2008 doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61908

Dear AIDS ASIA,

The Royal Government of Cambodia Awarded the 'Royal Order of Sahametrei' to Dr
Chinkholal Thangsing.

It is great honor to receive Royal order of  Sahametrei' from The Royal
Government of Cambodia.

This is a big honor not only for Dr Lal but also for the community involved in
HIV response in Asia pacific. The AIDS activists and professionals from India
feel proud about this  in a particular way.

We feel proud that he has been given this award for his dedication and
contribution to better the lives of the people in Asia.

This is also an acknowledgement to the emerging Asian leadership in HIV
response.

From the Maitri team, we extend our felicitations to Dr Chinkho Lal.


With Best Regards,

Winnie Singh

Executive Director, Maitri
106, Aradhana RK Puram Sector 13
New Delhi, India
url: http:// www.maitri.org.in
mobile: 98.101.32908/ tel/fax: +91.11.26111559

Dear FORUM,

Re: Garcia's posting on Leadership and Accountability - Personal reflections

Re: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS_ASIA/message/1468

I would love read more discussion on statement that "how community person
exchange their ideology of justice for a small project". If it is coming from
other party outside community (read key affected populations) it is a simple
thing to response to. But if it is coming from the community then the problem
become bigger.

From my personal point of view there are thousand of variables influencing this
issues. Those who have the power to control "resources" have specific purpose to
maintain community vulnerability towards HIV infection. So the strategy to keep
this going on is to provide limited resources for the community to have
supportive environment (read: empowerment).

A systemic conflict between the community was being develop long time ago on
behalf of public goods which has been driven by private goods.

AIDS movement sustainability is a challenging stage that will never happen under
engagement of such design.

To prove this let us prove on how many percentage that from all resources
available get into the beneficiaries in AIDS response?

The most ridiculous thing is when some community strikes no one there from the
community side to watch their back and provide support.

Instead of attacking community using other party name besides community it is
more easy attacking community using position on behalf of community itself. But
some happen on behalf a very power full position from party outside community as
it is easy to create tension between community and find scape goat. With such
power it is easy to pay some groups with inability to be consistent in true
ideology of community empowerment to do this rights?

Personal perspective by

Abdullah Denovan
+62 815 1139 5809
email: d_no0van@...

The Royal Government of Cambodia Awarded the `Royal Order of
Sahametrei' to  Dr Chinkholal Thangsing

Phnom Penh January 21st 2009: The Royal Government of Cambodia
awarded the prestigious "Royal Order of Sahametrei " to Dr.
Chinkholal Thangsing, Asia Pacific Bureau Chief of AIDS Healthcare
Foundation.

The `Royal Order of Sahametrei' is a medal of honour conferred primarily on
foreigners who have rendered distinguished  services to the King and to the
Nation by Royal Decree of His Majesty the King of Cambodia.

This award recognized Dr. Chinkholal Thangsing exemplary contribution and
dedication towards humanitarian services rendered by him and the organization
for the people living with HIVAIDS and general public in Cambodia.

The selfless and passionate  mission has saved many lives and restores dignity
and hope for many people infected and affected by the HIV epidemic in Cambodia.

The "Royal Order of Sahametrei" was conferred after a citation by His
Excellency Professor Mam Bun Heng, The Honorable Minister of Health,
on behalf of the Prime Minister, The Royal Government of Cambodia
today the 21st January 2009.

The Honorable Minister announced "This  is a big honor and my proud privilege to
hand over the `Sahametrei' to you, to honor and recognized your selfless
dedication and contribution to better the lives of our people".

Accepting the award Dr. Chinkholal Thangsing said "I am deeply
honored and humbled for being awarded the prestigious `Royal Order of
Sahametrei'. My heartfelt gratitude and thanks to the Royal
Government of Cambodia – The Ministry of Health, National Center for
HIVAIDS, Dermatology and STI (NCHADS) AIDS Healthcare Foundation and
to the highly committed wonderful AHF Cambodia Cares team for this
tremendous, tremendous honor.

This award is a tribute just not for me but to all those who willingly endeavor
and risk their lives, energy, strength, wisdom and have the courage to fight for
the underserved and unserved and for those who cannot do it themselves."

Dr. Chinkholal Thangsing, MBBS, FCAMS son of Mr. Paokhosoi Thangsing
graduated from North Eastern Regional Medical College and a
Postgraduate Fellow of the Christian Academy of Medical Sciences
trained in Applied Psychology, HIVAIDS. He has till date dedicatedly
work for over twenty years as a physician, HIV specialist, an
activist in the fight for HIVAIDS. He is the Asia Pacific Bureau
Chief of AIDS Healthcare Foundation, United States of America. AHF
Asia Pacific bureau operates in Cambodia, China, India, Thailand,
Vietnam and Nepal.

Michael Weinstein, President – AIDS Healthcare Foundation in his
congratulatory message said "What a great honor.  We are all brimming
with pride. We don't do this work for the glory, but recognition such
as this only confirms the importance of what we do.  Lal, on behalf
of the entire AHF family, please accept my hearty congratulations.
May this medal spur you to new heights of achievement - for when you
achieve - so many people benefit. I know that this will be the first
of many honors that you will receive for your contributions to
humanity."

Dr Chhim Sarath, AHF Cambodia Cares – Country Program Manager said
with pride " This recognition not only honor the leadership of Dr
Chinkholal Thangsing but the entire family of AHF and this is truly
an encouraging, inspiring and great motivator. I am very happy and
proud for this is a wonderful day for us all in Cambodia. We are
highly inspired and we shall do better and be a stronger team".

In 2005, AHF signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the
Ministry of Health, National Centre for HIV/AIDS, Dermatology and STI
Control (NCHADS) and Ministry of Defence, Preah Ket Mealea Hospital
of the Royal Government of Cambodia to collaborate and provide a
comprehensive HIVAIDS treatment, care and support program in
Cambodia. Currently, AHF Cambodia Cares operates at 11 sites. The
programs focused on technical and financial assistance ensuring the
provision of high quality ART treatment and management services and
strengthening of continuum of care services, networks and partnership
with collaborators and all  relevant stakeholders. The sites are
Preah Ket Mealea, Kampong Thom, Kampot, Stung Treng, Koh Thom, Romeas
Heik, Pear Reang, Kirivong, Ang Roka, Sampov Meas and Oddar Meanchey.
Today, this landmark collaborative program provides life saving
services to over 6000 patients.

About AHF
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the US' largest non-profit
HIV/AIDS healthcare, research, prevention and education provider.
AHF currently provides medical care and/or services to over 950000
patients 23 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin
America/Caribbean and Asia Pacific. Additional information is
available at www.aidshealth.org

About AHF/Cambodia Cares

AHF Cambodia Cares ART centers provide testing, psycho-social support
services and anti-retroviral treatment including both pediatric and
second-line treatment. The facilities provide comprehensive HIVAIDS
care and treatment and holistic services, and serve as one-stop shops
for people living with HIVAIDS (PLWHAs). Currently AHF Cambodia Cares
serves the Cambodian people through 11 centers and caters over 5000
people with HIVAIDS working with NCHADS and other local and
international stakeholders,

In the Asia/Pacific region, AIDS Healthcare Foundation currently
provides free anti-retroviral treatment services to people in need
through its clinics in Cambodia, India, Thailand, Viet Nam, China and
Nepal.

Hi forum,

Re: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS_ASIA/message/1466

I sometime think they do not forget it but the way of perpetrating, applying,
and interpreting.

I do learned they care of "leadership and accountability" in particular only
when they wanted more and more participation of affected community on board but
when it becomes an reality, which mean the community have a strongly commitment
and share their concern their inputs unwelcomed.

To me "leadership and accountability" mean "the affected community must take
lead and have power to make their own decision".

But so far the leadership and accountability remains a problem or big challenge.

Thanks that we brought this topic in this forum but by charting on the eforum, I
don't think it enought.

We need to bring them to the real table and discuss openly among the government,
civil society organizations, policymaker, and donors representative.

Cheers

Mony Pen
e-mail: <pmony24@...>