DUSAHNBE, June 8, Asia-Plus – Tajik delegation has participated in the Second Inter-Parliamentary Conference in Central countries concerning HIV/AIDS in Astana, Kazakhstan, on June 7-8.
The conference has brought together members of the Central Asian inter-parliamentary group for HIV/AIDS (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan) as well as MPs from Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. The conference participants have also included health ministers from Central Asia’s states and representatives from international organizations.
According to the UNDP CO in Tajikistan, during two days, the conference participants have discussed priorities of interregional cooperation, legal foundation of preventing HIV epidemic as well as have shared experience in improvement of the HIV/AIDS legislation.
The conference has focused on issues related to creation of sustainable mechanism of financing HIV/AIDS programs. MPs have also familiarized themselves with activities of international organizations and projects dealing with HIV/AIDS prevention issues in Central Asia.
The conference initiated by Kazakhstan’s parliament has been held by the Central Asian AIDS Control Project in collaboration with UNAIDS under financial support the UNDP Regional AIDS Program for Eastern Europe and CIS and UNODC Regional Office in Central Asia.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) data for end of 2006, 1.7 million people have been living with HIV in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
According to official data, more than 700 HIV sufferers have to date been registered in Tajikistan. However, experts assume that real number of HIV sufferers is much higher that the official data shows.
The Central Asia AIDS Control Project aims at contributing to minimizing the potential negative human and economic impact of a generalized HIV/AIDS epidemic. The project has the following two components: Component 1) will aim to: a) establish a legal environment that facilitates the implementation of the HIV/AIDS Regional Strategy, including prevention work with highly vulnerable groups such as drug users, commercial sex workers, men who have sex with men, prisoners and mobile populations; b) improve information and decision-making based on good quality epidemiological data; and c) build capacity of public agencies, NGOs and the private sector engaged in HIV/AIDS control. Component 2) will establish a demand-driven Regional AIDS Fund (RAF) to finance initiatives that will contribute to containing the rapidly growing epidemic of HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) in Central Asia. This grant facility is consistent with the regional scope of the Project and is expected to promote regional cooperation; allow for better coverage of gaps in AIDS-related activities; increase transparency over the use of grant funds; encourage grant applicants from participating countries, through evaluation criteria, to target projects in priority areas; and build local capacity to develop and manage projects.
