Asia Pacific plans for UNGASS on HIV

Civil society groups in Asia and the Pacific are mobilising early for next year's UNGASS on HIV. Recent news from the region indicates that the Asia Pacific Council of AIDS Service Organizations (APCASO) will be coordinating the civil society response in the lead up to UNGASS across the region. Discussions among civil society groups have started at the recent 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) in a session titled "UNGASS & Community" with support from the 7 Sisters, World AIDS Campaign and several other key agencies. In the weeks to come, internal discussions within the 7 Sisters Coalition will take place and feed into the APCASO strategy around UNGASS. The upcoming UNAIDS 2009 Regional M&E Meeting for the Asia-Pacific Region scheduled for 29 September to 2 October will also be the setting for discussions on concrete actions in the lead up to the UNGASS next year. AHRN's Pascal Tanguay has been invited to assist UNAIDS at the M&E meeting and will once again be speaking about the linkages between the UNGASS on drugs and the UNGASS on HIV in terms of process, outcomes and potential for collaboration between the drugs and HIV fields. More information will be shared with the IDPC members at the outset of the meeting, including key dates and overviews of plans being developed.