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UNAIDS calls for renewed vigor on AIDS in Asia-Pacific |
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20:45, August 20, 2007 |
A senior UNAIDS (Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS) official on Monday called Asia- Pacific nations to commit more national funds and human resources to AIDS programs and become less reliant on external donors.
UNAIDS Asia Pacific Regional Director Prasada Rao told the opening session of the 8th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) that resources for national AIDS programs in Asia, while increasing, are insufficient for a durable response to AIDS.
National governments'' budgets for AIDS programs in the region account for only 30 percent of the 1.2 billion U.S. dollars of funds allocated annually for AIDS.
"With the exception of Thailand, international donors fund the balance," Rao said.
Although prevalence rates remain low across the region, rates of new infections are rising in a number of countries such as Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Nepal and Bangladesh.
"We need continued vigilance to ensure that HIV prevention and treatment are reaching people most at risk and most in need," said Rao, warning against complacency.
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