Question 2.
"Still HIV/AIDS has not gained political importance in Asia" how do you respond to this?

The importance of political leadership on AIDS should never be underestimated. There are initiatives of parliamentarians in Asia and the Pacific, such as in Cambodia, India and Pakistan and most Heads of Governments cited AIDS as a key issue. There have been shifts in political leadership on AIDS in this region from 2001 to 2006. At the regional level, summits of Heads of Governments of regional groupings such as the Secretariats of the Association of South East Asia Nations (ASEAN), Pacific Island Forum (PIF) and the South Asia Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) have all recently included AIDS on their agenda.

However, there is imminent change in political leadership in the region, such as the upcoming election of parliamentarians in Malaysia and Pakistan. The head of the State Council AIDS Working Committee and the Director of the State Council AIDS Working Committee Office in China will also change. Sensitizing political leaders in low and concentrated epidemic scenarios is crucial for HIV prevention.

UN agencies could provide technical and political support on legal reform and capacity building and there are some opportunities to mobilize high political leadership at country level, such as, the 2008 High-Level Meeting on AIDS at the United Nations headquarters in New York in June 2008, and a proposed special session on AIDS at the July 08 SAARC Summit in Sri Lanka.

The Asia Pacific Leadership Forum on HIV/AIDS and Development (APLF) facilitates strong leadership at all levels and from across sectors to catalyze and sustain effective, scaled-up responses to AIDS in the region. APLF works primarily at country level through the UNAIDS Country Offices, which in turn, work in partnership with government, civil society and the private sector. APLF also supports regional and sub-regional activities with a range of partners including inter-governmental bodies to complement the work in country.