UN ESCAP in cooperation with UNAIDS, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNODC and WHO is organizing the Asia – Pacific Intergovernmental Meeting on HIV and AIDS (IGM) at the United Nations Conference Center, Bangkok from 28 -30 January 2015.
The Meeting will be convened in pursuance of the 2011 Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS: Intensifying Our Efforts to Eliminate HIV and AIDS, which mandates the regional commissions to conduct periodic, inclusive reviews of national efforts and progress to combat HIV, and in accordance with the ESCAP Roadmap to 2015 endorsed by the 2012 Asia-Pacific High-Level Intergovernmental Meeting on the Assessment of Progress against Commitments in the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS and the Millennium Development Goals.
The objectives of the Meeting are:
• To assess national progress and to exchange multisectoral experiences in meeting the commitments contained in the 2011 Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS, and in ESCAP resolutions 66/10 and 67/9;
• To review measures to enhance the financial sustainability and effectiveness of responses to HIV and AIDS;
• To evaluate the outcomes of national reviews of policy and legal barriers to universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support in pursuance of ESCAP resolution 67/9, and consider enhancing regional cooperation.
In addition to overall support for the meeting, UNESCO is organizing a side event at the IGM on 28 January with UNFPA, ESCAP and regional youth networks Youth LEAD and Youth Voices Count entitled How old are you? Engaging young people to create an enabling legal environment for access to HIV and Sexual and Reproductive Health Services. The session will explore legal and policy barriers to information and services for young people in the region, and good practice on addressing these barriers.
UNESCO, UNFPA and UNAIDS are also supporting Youth LEAD to hold a Youth Caucus in advance of the IGM on 26 January at the Prince Palace Hotel. The IMG Youth Caucus will serve as a platform for youth delegates and representatives to convene, discuss the landscape of IGM, and strategize on how to influence the IGM outcome document and country-level efforts.
Contact: Justine Sass (j.sass@unesco.org)
Related Links:
Asia-Pacific nations agree on roadmap to accelerate progress towards global AIDS commitments
Listening to the young on HIV prevention and response