CURRENTS (March 2004)

Mekong leaders consultative meeting on of women and AIDS on International Women’s Day

 UNIFEM and UNAIDS co-organized a Mekong regional consultative meeting on women and AIDS on 8 March 2004, on the occasion of the International Women’s Day.  21 government and community leaders, including representatives of the network of women living with HIV/AIDS, from five Greater Mekong countries (Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam) participated in the meeting to discuss the gender dimension of HIV/AIDS in the region.

Women in the Mekong region are often caught in the paradox of “low-risk behaviour” and “high vulnerability.”  Majority of sexually active women in the region are in monogamous relationships, yet they are becoming increasingly vulnerable to infection of HIV/AIDS because of the high-risk behaviour of their male partners.  Because of the low-risk status of women, they have often been lacking accesses to HIV prevention services and information.  The epidemic of HIV/AIDS in the region would not be contained without preventing these so-called “low-risk women” from infection.

The consultative meeting was the first activity of the Mekong Regional Coalition on Women and AIDS, which is a forum of prominent leaders in the region – both men and women – to discuss various means to address women’s and gender issues in regional, national and community responses to HIV/AIDS.  In the meeting, key gender issues underlying the HIV epidemic in participating countries were identified, and strategic options of addressing gender dimension of HIV/AIDS were discussed.   Emphasis was on the role of leaders, especially among political, business, and community leaders, in advocacy efforts to raise public awareness on women and AIDS issues.  It was agreed that leaders should start speaking up on the issue of women and AIDS, taking necessary actions to mainstream women’s concerns into HIV responses, and to try innovative ideas to address gender dimension of HIV/AIDS. 

National Launch of Mekong Coalition on Women and AIDS in Lao PDR

On 12 March 2004, the National Commission for the Advancement of Women (NCAW-Lao) and the National Committee for the Control of AIDS (NCCA) hosted a meeting to launch the Mekong Coalition on Women and AIDS in Vientiane, Lao PDR, with the support of UNIFEM and UNAIDS.

The meeting has brought the spirit of the recently formed Mekong Coalition on Women and AIDS to the national level, first of such an initiative in the world following the launch of Global Coalition on Women and AIDS in February 2004.  It was a significant commitment of the Government of Lao PDR to address women and girls’ increasing vulnerabilities to HIV/AIDS. 

During the panel discussion on Women and AIDS, H.E. Mr. Lengsavad, Deputy Prime Minister and the Chair of NCAW-Lao, called for an immediate action to reduce women’s risk of HIV infection.  Ms. Lucita S. Lazo, Regional Programme Director, UNIFEM, has also recommended taking necessary measures to empower women and girls, so that women can protect themselves from the infection of HIV/AIDS.  Keeping women from HIV infection is a key to halt the HIV epidemic in Lao PDR, currently placed at a low adult prevalence rate of  less than 1%. 

Participants are also keen to learn the latest information on HIV vaccine development, as well as the availability of anti-retroviral treatment (ART).  A woman living with HIV/AIDS, who was infected from her late husband, requested her participation in free ART services that are not yet available in the capital city.

The meeting concluded with a call for gender-responsive national and community responses to HIV/AIDS, in order to make Lao PDR the first country in the world to stop the epidemic of HIV/AIDS.

Updated: 09 December 2006 15:44 +0700