DUSHANBE, July 2, 2010, Asia-Plus — German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) has launched a new regional program in Tajikistan – HIV/AIDS and Preventing Addiction in Central Asia.
Mr. Bayan Shirshah, an adviser to the program, HIV/AIDS and Preventing Addiction in Central Asia/Tajikistan, told Asia-Plus that a seminar on that occasion would take place in Dushanbe on July 6. “We will present a general concept of the regional program and discuss the issue of optimization of its impact with regard to objectives and goals of Tajikistan’s national policy,” Mr. Shirshah stressed.
According to him, the seminar will also define priorities of activity that must reflect topical requirements and harmoniously supplement the national program and donor aid. Besides, the seminar participants will consider issues related to regional cooperation and exchange of experience.
We will recall that according to the latest official data, there are more than 2,000 HIV sufferers in Tajikistan and intravenous drug use, which is one of the main factors contributing to the spread of HIV in Tajikistan, accounts for more than 50 percent of identified HIV cases.
In the meantime, according to information posted on GTZ’s website, the majority of people infected with HIV in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are injecting drug users – most of them young people. Easy access to drugs and the opportunities for high earnings in the illegal drug trade mean that young people with poor education and from difficult social backgrounds are especially vulnerable to drug use. Combined with a lack of awareness and the conventions of the highly conservative, patriarchal societies in Central Asia, this has lead to rising rates of HIV infection and a marked increase in the number of AIDS-related illnesses in young people, including women and girls. In all three countries, numerous individual projects for the prevention of HIV/AIDS are already being financed by various donors. However, they are not properly networked with one another and no structured exchange of experiences, or learning process, takes place between the projects.
The project will construct a resource center in each of the three countries. These will be used to collect and develop the regional experiences of HIV/AIDS prevention and preventing addiction. GTZ’s experience and methods in participatory and youth-oriented awareness-raising work are being made available, and training is given to local specialist staff. Governmental and civil society structures should receive support as they pursue a robust approach to the challenges of HIV/AIDS and drug prevention, and in working together in networks. Experiences gained from the project will be introduced into the national and regional dialogue that is shaping youth and drug policies.
Some of the measures involved in the project are being carried out as pilot measures within the project for health system development. Close cooperation with vocational education projects in all three countries is also foreseen.
