Namibian primary school students are reading books that they authored and local artists illustrated as part of an education campaign that also provides professional development for teachers.

In Nepal, many women and children live with HIV/AIDS passed on to them by their husbands and fathers. UNICEF is helping them by taking care of their treatment and arranging for education of their children.

Considered a taboo and anti-Islamic during Taliban regime, condom usage in Afghanistan is slowly increasing. The government however feels a need to boost its demand to achieve public health targets on STD prevention and reduction in maternal mortality.

For N.Nandadevi, a dedicated health activist in Manipur in north-eastern India, mere counseling on HIV/AIDS is not enough to tackle the fatal disease. A believer in pragmatic solutions, she distributes disposable syringes among drug users to prevent transmission through shared needles.

HIV, stigma, animation, music.

Co-authored by UNICEF, UNAIDS and WHO, Children and AIDS: Second Stocktaking Report, is a review of progress on how AIDS affects children and young people. Focusing on low and middle income countries, the report reveals that there is a strong need for more evidence-based information for HIV/AIDS prevention efforts.

NEW YORK, Apr 15 (OneWorld) - A new coalition of U.S.-based rights groups says it plans to spend over $1 billion on projects to help women fight poverty in many parts of the world.

A new International Labour Organization report says the workplace is helping tackle HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination through greater tolerance and improved attitude towards affected co-workers. The report, which covers 650 workplaces in 24 countries, also notes an increased acceptance of condom use.

In India's business capital, an NGO Sanmitra helps HIV positive women ensure a life of independence and dignity by making them re-enter the mainstream workforce. The organisation’s thrust is on HIV prevention, care and support to the affected and infected people.

Indian Institute of Health Management Research, in collaboration with WHO and UNFPA, is organising a training course on ‘Programming for HIV/AIDS and Reproductive Health of Young People in South and South-East Asia’ in Jaipur, India. The programme, aimed at strengthening management capabilities, addresses the concerns of younger generation about the disease.

NEW YORK, Apr 10 (OneWorld) - From New York to Johannesburg to Manila, rights advocacy groups are making fresh calls for the Egyptian government to rein in its functionaries who mistreat people living with HIV/AIDS.

Asia may have 8 million more new cases of HIV/AIDS by 2020, according to a new report by the independent Commission on AIDS in Asia. The report, presented to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, is the first ever comprehensive study in the region and calls for immediate priority interventions.

The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis & Malaria (GFATM) has launched its Round 8 funding to scale up health systems across the world. The India – Country Coordinating Mechanism for the GFATM invites proposals from government agencies, civil society networks and private sector for receiving grants.

Men who talk about sex are more likely to use condoms consistently. Keeping this in mind India's HIV and AIDS mass media campaign has launched its second contest to get men shed their inhibitions, using a local popular sport. The campaign hopes to reach out to an estimated 48 million men.

The Workplace HIV and AIDS Policy Manual was developed to support resource persons working with companies, Ministries, agencies and organisations in Zambia. It may be freely used, reviewed, quoted, reproduced, translated or distributed, in part or in full, provided the source is acknowledged. The document may not be used for commercial purposes or for profit

Insufficient statistics and lack of a sound HIV/AIDS prevention policy are undermining Bangladesh’s efforts to protect people against its risks. It is necessary to break the barriers of social stigmas attached to the disease and promote condom use beyond family planning purposes, say health experts.

New knowledge about the mechanics of HIV transmission is already shaping new approaches to stopping the virus, says an anti-AIDS advocate reflecting on the news that a cream that was hoped to revolutionize how women protect themselves from AIDS had failed in clinical trials.
From: Global Campaign for Microbicides

Even as the HIV virus occurrence rate remains low at below 1 percent in Bangladesh, the country needs to secure itself by building awareness, officials say. More often, people need support to fight the social stigma that goes with the virus in this largely conservative Muslim society.

A documentary filled with the message of hope and courage, follows a young South African HIV/AIDS activist as she crosses linguistic and cultural barriers to reach HIV positive women living in the city of Mumbai in India. The documentary is due to be shown on Indian television this year.

UNICEF has recently released 2007 Tsunami Report, highlighting progress made for children in last three years. In 2004, tsunami waves had claimed more than 200,000 lives and devastated towns and communities.

NEW YORK, Jan 2 (OneWorld) - Hundreds of activists gathered in Iowa this week urging voters to reject presidential candidates who do not support enhanced global efforts to fight HIV/AIDS.

An animated green parrot with a riddle is the latest campaign on HIV/AIDS launched by BBC World Service Trust in India. Targeting men in the southern states, where rates of infection are among the highest, the advert encourages people to talk about sex while trying to solve the clues.

Teams from India have traveled to east and southern Africa to build capacities and provide training in community-based models to reduce child mortality. UNICEF in its report: Progress for Children launched on December 10, highlights progress in several areas, but also stresses the importance of more urgent action.

Deep-rooted social attitudes, practices and stereotyping are hampering progress towards dealing with the spread of HIV/AIDS in Pakistan. A cultural tradition of exchanged marriages known as ‘watta satta’ makes it almost impossible for women to disclose their HIV status.

A recently held workshop in Jaipur, capital of north Indian state of Rajasthan, on HIV/AIDS, expressed concern over the evidence that male-to-male sexual transmission of HIV makes significant contribution to the epidemic in India. The situation is grimmer in northern India including highly vulnerable state like Rajasthan.

On December 1, World AIDS Day, a unique train began its journey from Indian capital New Delhi. Named as ‘Red Ribbon Express’, the train during its one-year long journey will reach out to millions of people spreading awareness about HIV/AIDS.

Calls for substantial change in White House policies toward HIV are on the rise as Congress gets ready to consider the Bush administration's new financial proposal to fight the epidemic at home and abroad.

A landmark Nepali radio show on sexual health is messaging AIDS awareness to young people living in rural areas and helping them speak out their fears. The show, developed by UNICEF and produced by local NGO Equal Access Nepal, is broadcast on national radio and 30 local FM stations.

2007 AIDS Epidemic Update a joint report by UNAIDS and WHO comes as a reprieve. The new report reveals that the epidemic has slowed down in recent times and that the dreaded HIV virus has actually not infected as many people as it was earlier feared.

A report by the United Nations World Food Programme, released ahead of World AIDS Day on 1 December, highlights links between hunger, poor health and HIV/AIDS. Life-saving drugs are more effective when people are well nourished and healthy, the report says.

A new report by Oxfam says that more than 85% people in the world have no access to medicines due to high pricing. Developing medicines only for the rich is a bad business strategy, as also the scant interest shown by pharmaceutical companies in research and development of medicines for diseases that affect the poor in developing countries, says the report.

Ten vans will travel to the remote interiors of Tamil Nadu, India’s southern state, to help people test for HIV/AIDS in a programme supported by the Red Cross Societies. According to National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), India has 2.5 million people infected by the virus.

An intensive reassessment of data by India earlier this year has emerged as a single biggest reason for reduction in the global HIV prevalence figures. A report, 2007 AIDS Epidemic Update, released by the UNAIDS on November 20, says the number of people living with the dreaded virus has drastically come down to 33 million from a previous estimation of nearly 40 million.

The final report of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) 2005-06 offers the first-ever comprehensive picture of the health and well-being of India’s men, women and children. The report was released last month by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare at the capital, New Delhi.

A look inside a school for Ugandan AIDS orphans demonstrates how fighting AIDS is linked to efforts to fight poverty and improve education, health care, and gender rights.

NEW YORK, Oct 24 (OneWorld) - Some of the nation's leading performing artists are calling for the U.S. Congress to roll back the Bush administration's policy on global HIV/AIDS funds requiring abstinence from sex until marriage.

The newly introduced female condom has been welcomed by the sex workers of Sonagachi and other brothels in the eastern state of West Bengal – perhaps South Asia’s largest red light area. The pilot project of Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust and National AIDS Control Organisation will track its use among women at risk in six states in India.

A WHO led campaign in South and Southeast Asia has called for inclusion of nutrition issues in government programmes on HIV/AIDS. Experts are of the opinion that nutrition can go a long way in treating the disease as well as preventing mother-to-child transmission.

A new manual encourages the hearing disabled communities in developing countries to take control of their health. Developed by the Kenyan Peer Education Network,The Deaf Peers’ Education Manual addresses three main issues: sexual education, relationships and hygiene for a basic understanding of sexual health, HIV/AIDS, and can be adapted to fit the cultural context and needs of the deaf communities.

The Karnataka State Police in India becomes the first state police department to set up a workplace policy on HIV/AIDS. The document clearly spells out guiding principles that would help protect the rights of personnel with HIV/AIDS. The challenge is now to implement the paperwork on the ground

Panos South Asia invites broadcast journalists from India to research and produce television features on HIV/AIDS in the north-east and the rest of the country. Last date for applicants is September 30.

A recent workshop has called for concerted efforts to prevent the spread of the dreaded disease in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Houses would be provided to the HIV affected on a priority basis under the Indira Aawas Yojana (IAY).

According a new study done by UNAIDS and the Asian Development Bank, the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Asia is being fuelled by the sexual behaviour of wealthy men and not by poverty as is widely believed.

The Northern India has won an award from the United Nations for outstanding achievement in public relations by conducting a public awareness campaign designed to encourage the use of condoms as part of safe sex practices and family planning.

The Papua Legislative Council is deliberating a regulation that would see microchips implanted in people living with HIV/AIDS so authorities could monitor their actions. The regulation has been condemned by activists in the province as a gross violation of rights.

The Special Representative, Ms. Hina Jilani, is particularly concerned about the lack of protection for defenders who are engaged with issues that are socially sensitive such as the rights of LGBT persons or public awareness on HIV/AIDS.

Panos South Asia will reward the 12 best Bangladeshi print and broadcast journalists who are eligible for cash prizes of BDT15,000 (about US$220) each, for investigative reporting on HIV and AIDS.

The Asian consortium of prominent NGOs, working on drug use, HIV, AIDS and poverty have announced the first Asian Consultation on the Prevention of HIV, related to Drug Use, on 28- 31 January 2008 at Goa, India.

The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-III), of India shows that the number of HIV-positive people in India has gone down drastically from the previous estimates of 5.3 million to 2.5 million. New figures show that India has fewer HIV cases than South Africa and Nigeria.

HIV epidemic in Papua and West Papua provinces is spreading at a rate 15 times faster than the national average. Furthermore, the epidemic is now spreading among the general population, including among housewives and children

More than 2,000 women leaders and many of the world's leading AIDS experts were in Nairobi last week for an international conference to address the unique and devastating impact HIV and AIDS has on the over 17 million women and girls living with the disease.

According to the NAD Province AIDS Commission, as of March 2006, all provinces had reported cases of HIV/AIDS, including Aceh, a particularly conservative part of the country. But Aceh had no facilities for HIV testing and treatment before the tsunami.

By 2010, India aims to have 1 million medical tourists a year in its five-star hospitals. "Are we headed towards a system that mobilises incredible resources to protect the lives of the privileged, while abdicating its responsibility towards the poor," asks a doctor who spent a year in the HIV ward of a Chennai hospital.

A recent parliament committee report claims cancer, malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS as major concerns in North East India. The committee has called upon the state government for effective realization of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).

In Indonesia, to be out and gay remains a taboo. Gay community members are straightforward about their sexual orientation among themselves. However, facing the social pressure of Indonesia's heterosexist society, they hide their sexual orientation when returning to the mainstream.

The government of the south Indian state of Kerala has made it clear that discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS will not be tolerated and has readmitted HIV-positive children who were dismissed from a school in December 2006.

According to the study, 48% of Papuans are unaware of HIV/AIDS, and the number of AIDS cases per 100,000 people in Papua is almost 20 times the national average. In addition, the percentage of people who reported being unaware of HIV/AIDS increased to 74% among uneducated populations in the region.

BBC World Service Trust -hyväntekeväisyysjärjestön Haath se Haath Milaa -niminen tosi-TV -ohjelma voitti Aasian media-alan suurtapahtuman pääpalkinnon. Ohjelmalla on ollut keskeinen rooli Intian suurimmassa hiv/aids- massamediakampanjassa.

An ambitious and innovative reality TV show - Haath se Haath Milaa (Let’s Join Hands) – by BBC World Service Trust, that played a vital role in India’s largest mass media campaign on HIV and AIDS, has won a World Award at the Asia Media Summit 2007.

To commemorate the International Day against Drug Abuse, PVR Nest in India, in association with United Nations (Office of Drug and Crime) and the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is organising a play on prevention of drug abuse titled 'Mission Possible'. The play will be presented by Barry John's troupe "Imago" on 26 th June, 2007 at PVR Priya, New Delhi, India at 5:30 pm.

Mahdollisesti syöpää aiheuttavan Viracept-lääkkeen poisvetäminen markkinoilta herättää huolta sambialaisten hiv-positiivisten keskuudessa. Potilaat pelkäävät, ettei Viracept ole ainoa viallinen lääke.

ActionAid and its partner organisations are coming together for a national Conclave in Hyderabad from 11 to 14 June, 2007. The objective is to provide a platform to the social groups and the marginalize people whose rights have been violated. The conclave will plan out strategies for intervention.

HEILIGENDAMM, Germany, Jun 8 (IPS) - The Group of Eight industrialised countries suffered a setback Friday in its plan to strengthen intellectual property rights through "promoting innovation - protecting innovation" when the five developing world's leaders -- China, India, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico -- forced a key change in the final statement.

JOHANNESBURG, May 29 (IPS) - About one million people in need of anti-retroviral treatment for HIV/AIDS are yet to receive it in four southern African states, according to Medicins Sans Frontieres, a global nongovernmental organisation specialising in medical services.

Angelique Kidjo and World Education will partner together to enable girls to go to secondary school in Mali and Benin. This effort will support 304 girls who have been orphaned by AIDS or whose families are affected by AIDS, are disabled or are extremely poor.

During the Global AIDS Week in India, ActionAid enabled a group of HIV-positive people to share their concerns with parliamentarians in Delhi. The MPs expressed their support for better testing facilities, trained staff and access to treatment and a promise to AIDS activists to bring up the issue in the coming Parliament session.

The HIV virus travels hundred times faster through blood than unsafe sex, say Mariette Correa and David Gisselquist, independent consultants involved in AIDS research and programming. The need is to make people aware of the dangers of non-sterile healthcare and focus policies on the ‘blood route’ to HIV infection.

People gathered with candles burning in New Delhi, Sunday evening, to mark the start of the Global Aids Week. Eight other cities across the country would raise awareness through similar events as part of the global initiative to demand more resources to fight HIV/AIDS.

Austrian freelance writer Shelley Seale is researching a book - The Weight of Silence: Invisible Children of India - on the country’s 12 million orphans. She claims that social and economic circumstances increase the vulnerability of the children to the HIV virus which not only depletes the human body but also depletes families and communities of their assets.

BANGKOK, May 10 (IPS) - By standing up to pressure from big pharmaceutical companies over cheap anti-AIDS drugs, Thailand may have created an opening in global trade rules that will permit developing countries to more readily break patents in times of public health emergencies.

The second Global AIDS Week of Action will be held during the week 20-25 May 2007 across the globe. It is an opportunity for activists to unite, generate political pressure and demand a stronger response from our leaders in the fight against HIV and AIDS. The week of action will also be a reminder to the upcoming G8 Summit in Germany.

An oral test for HIV will soon become the preferred alternative to blood tests, claim researchers. In a study, 66% of those who did a blood test complained of discomfort, while only 8% of those who submitted to the oral test had complaints. The oral test OraQuick Rapid HIV1/2 is 100% accurate and can get good results in rural settings in China and India.

Tired of waiting for governments to deliver on promises, activists, experts and people living with HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific will push for stronger community leadership in the battle against the disease at a regional summit to be held in this city in August.

On March 13, 2007, the “Responsibility and Partnership - “Together Against HIV/AIDS” ministerial conference that took place in Bremen, organized by Germany as the current presiding state of the European Union, adopted the declaration by the same name, “Responsibility and Partnership -” Together Against HIV/AIDS”.

NAIROBI, Mar 5 (IPS) - With AIDS cutting a swathe through Africa's workforce, there is an urgent need for employers to set up policies that support HIV-positive staff -- and ensure they are not victims of stigma. But it's a need that often goes unaddressed.

NEW YORK, Feb 5 (OneWorld) - Despite a setback in clinical trials, health advocacy groups remain supportive of the need to develop a biomedical product that women can use to protect themselves against HIV infection.

NEW DELHI, Feb 1 (IPS) - As a legal battle launched by the Swiss pharmaceuticals multinational Novartis against India's patents law warms up, health activists are gearing up to mount a campaign against drug monopolies and the people's right to medicines at affordable prices.

From Africa to Asia, activists are reiterating that violence against women remains a threat to the HIV/AIDS fight, and that without governments addressing the matter, winning the war against the disease will be an uphill task.

With the aim to strengthen the fight against HIV/AIDS on the internet, the Iskorak Centre for Rights of Sexual and Gender Minorities established the AIDS.HR internet portal. Having in mind the general population in Croatia, the contents were adapted for average citizens, teen-agers, and other uneducated persons with proclivities towards risky behaviour.

Indian NGO, Manav Seva Sansthan has started a 24-hours toll-free help line 1800-180-1000 (India) for victims of trafficking and HIV/AIDS.

An HIV/AIDS and drugs education programme for junior and high schools has been developed by the National AIDS Commision (KPA) in Bali Province, Indonesia. The programme, infusing two methods of intra and extra curricula activities, has been implemented in six out of nine cities/regencies.

Coinciding with World AIDS Day, the USAID-Nepal has pledged $25 million for two new health programmes for the next three years. Most of the estimated 70,000 people living with HIV/AIDS do not know they are infected, and HIV/AIDS related stigma and discrimination prevent them and others from seeking HIV counselling and testing, prevention, care and treatment services.

We need to work together: governments, civil society, the private sector, religious organisations, and others — including those suffering from the disease and their loved ones- David C. Muldord reflects in the Hindu.

Advance of HIV/AIDS is markedly reducing economic and employment growth in countries hit hardest by the epidemic, jeopardising their efforts to reduce poverty, create new jobs — especially for youth — and fight child labour, according to a report by the International Labour Office (of the International Labour Organisation) on the eve of World AIDS Day.

NGO INTEGRA in cooperation with UNICEF HQ Prishtina, Kosovar Committee for AIDS and other local and international partners, continuous hard work to combat the HIV/AIDS.

Despite efforts being made by different countries across the world to curb the curse of HIV virus, there has been no let up in AIDS, South Asia recording the sharp increase in infection rates in 2006, reveals a report released by the UN