Fighting AIDS Through Civil Society Groups

Fighting AIDS Through Civil Society Groups
The Asia Society - Asia Society
Redefining AIDS in Asia: Crafting an Effective ResponseAsia Society and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) formally launched "Redefining AIDS in Asia: Crafting an Effective Response," the first report of the Independent Commission on AIDS in Asia.Inaugurated in June 2006 in New Delhi, the Independent Commission brought together nine of Asia's leading development economists, policy makers, public health experts, and civil society representatives working on AIDS in an effort to better understand and analyze the disease's impact on economies, societies, families, and individuals across Asia.Commission Chairman Chakravarthi Rangarajan begins by describing the Commission's work and stresses the need for countries in Asia to act on the report's findings with tangible political and economic support at all levels. JVR Prasada Rao warns that without adequate funding for governmental and civil society health and education initiatives, HIV/AIDS will only become more prevalent throughout Asia in the coming years. Frika Chia Iskandar emphasizes the importance of civil society organizations in helping to fight the disease, particularly among vulnerable populations.John Tedstrom, Executive Director of the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, moderates the discussion, which also includes Dr. Mahmuda Islam and Dr. Tim Brown, two additional members of the Independent Commission - Asia Society