Seven Sisters Statement on HIV / AIDS to the 2nd Special Session on HIV and AIDS 12th ASEAN Summit on December 2006*

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Regional Networks on HIV/AIDS (also known as the Seven Sisters) is a broad-based alliance of seven regional networks representing and working with communities vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.

The Coalition is pleased to continue its engagement with the ASEAN Initiative on HIV/AIDS. We take this opportunity to reflect, and more importantly, to put forward our recommendations and inputs to the Second Special Summit on HIV/AIDS.

We acknowledge the efforts undertaken by the ASEAN to carry out a regional response to HIV/AIDS, as signified in the ASEAN Summit Declaration on HIV/AIDS, signed by State/Government leaders at the ASEAN Special Session on HIV/AIDS held in Brunei Darussalam in November 2001. This pioneering initiative in the Asia-Pacific region bore witness to the commitment of Heads of Governments/ States to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS.

While there is recognition that HIV/AIDS is a regional problem, the review of the ASEAN Work Programme II reflects that the actions that have been taken have not achieved many of the objectives. Evidence and direct experiences of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and vulnerable communities in the last five years illustrate that the commitments made by the leaders in Brunei have not resulted in the reduction of the spread of HIV and mitigation of impact on those infected and affected. This is a clear illustration that the commitments have not been translated into effective national programmes on HIV/AIDS.

The populations of ASEAN countries, particularly those coming from vulnerable communities such as men having sex with men, transgenders, drug users, sex workers, migrants and mobile populations, among others, are more at risk than ever. While we have seen government leaders who have moved forward and proactively undertaken responses to critical issues related to HIV/AIDS, such as harm reduction initiatives for drug users, we have also seen leaders who contradicted their commitments and promoted policies and practices that are misguided, misinformed and not based on evidence, such as abstinence only approaches, resulting in maintained and/or increasing HIV prevalence rates.

Governments have not instituted adequate mechanisms to resolve denial, stigma, discrimination and criminalization of these vulnerable communities. Until today, only two ASEAN member states have legislation specifically addressing HIV/AIDS. Current interventions and policies often lack grounding on principles of gender equity, human rights and greater involvement of people infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS.

* This Statement was submitted by the Coalition of Asia-Pacific Regional Networks on HIV/AIDS (Seven Sisters) to the ASEAN Secretariat. Parts of it were included in “Stopping AIDS, Acting Together: Strategic Framework for the Third ASEAN Work Programme on HIV and AIDS (2006-2010)”.