Bangkok opens ICAAP11

Story and photos by Chhay Sophal
Cambodia News New Youth

Bangkok (19 November, 2013): The 11^th International Conference on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP11) on Tuesday is opened with thousands of people from communities, scientists, academics, governments, international agencies, and private sector as well as media around the region.

Speaking in his welcome remarks at the conference where over 3,000 people from 80 nations, Wilas Lohitkul, Chair of ICAAP11 Local Organizing Committee, said the world have to help work together to achieve the comment goal and to explore innovation to fight against HIV/AIDS not only in the Asia and the Pacific but also the whole world.

In her welcome massage distributed at the conference, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said she is confidence that the ICAAP11 will serve as forum to share experiences, best practices and lesson learnt in “our region to develop innovative strategies on sustainable HIV/AIDS response. Through such interaction among participants, we hope to move forward in realizing our vision of Getting to Zero”.

Although the Asia and Pacific region in recent years has experienced significant progress in the reduction on new HIV infections, increase in the number of people receiving antiretroviral treatment and expansion of programmes to reach key affected population, Yingluck said, challenges are still remaining and “these challenges are compound by the facts that many national programmes are dependent on external financial resources which are threatened by funding reduction.”

Rapid transmission of HIV at present among many groups of people can be observed while more and more patients under antiretroviral treatment need second line or higher regimen, she added by appealing that “stronger commitments from leaders in every relevant sector is needed. We also need to advance gender equality and fully recognize that having good health is a fundamental right.”

The ICAAP11 to deliberate on the theme “Asia/Pacific Reaching Triple Zero” is jointly organised by the Population and Community Development Association, Thailand’s  Ministry of Public Health and other Thai and international institutions, including United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

“In the connection, Asia/Pacific Reaching Triple Zero: Investing in Innovation, as the theme of ICAAP11, presents a unique opportunity for us to work together in order to ultimately achieve zero new infections, zero discrimination, and zero AIDS-related deaths,” Yingluck said.

Some 64 Cambodians from National AIDS Authority (NAA), the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Dermatology and STD (NCHARD), and other civil society working in responding to HIV/AIDS and other related issues, including a journalist from New Youth, also participate in the ICAPP11.