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ADVOCACY
The
Seven Sisters was involved in the consultation on the process leading to the "ASEAN
Summit Session on HIV/AIDS" in November 2001. The Seven Sisters conducted
intra-network consultations similar to the intra-consultations that were being
conducted by the ASEAN member countries. The in-country consultations were to
develop respective in-country reports which were to be included into the Inter-Country
Consultation, the ASEAN Work Programme II on HIV/AIDS (AWP II) and the Draft Declaration
for the Heads of Governments. By having the similar intra-consultations, Seven
Sisters were able to support and complement the country reports by including the
voices of the communities across the region, on the issues that affect them and
their needs and concerns vis-à-vis HIV/AIDS.
The reports from
the intra-network consultations were synthesised at the ASEAN Summit: Inter-Network
Consultation in Kuala Lumpur on February 2001. The Seven Sisters’ inaugural
activity was the submission of the Inter-Network Consultation Report to the ASEAN
Secretariat and ATFOA. This report has been incorporated into AWP II and the Joint
Declaration for the 7th ASEAN Summit Session on HIV/AIDS.
The involvement
of the regional networks in this, mainly government process was a significant
step towards the greater involvement of the NGO sector. Moreover, the Seven Sisters
advocated for the inclusion of cross-border and cross-cutting issues that have
emerged from our work with affected communities at local level. The involvement
of NGOs was reflected in one of the overall strategies of the AWP II – Joint
Action Strategy. Specifically, NGOs would collaborate with key players to reduce
social vulnerability, to accelerate prevention interventions, to provide care
and to reduce socio-economic impact. The Seven Sisters will have a considerable
role to play in advocating for the continuous participation and input from the
NGO sector in the implementation of the AWP II.
Furthermore, the Seven
Sisters used inputs from the intra-network consultations to submit briefs for
the consultation meetings that were held as part of the process leading to the
United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on HIV/AIDS in June 2001.
The UNGASS meeting produced the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS adopted
by member states of the United Nations.
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NEW - (Colombo, 19 January 2007) The AIDS Society of Asia and the Pacific (ASAP) and UNAIDS have met today in Colombo, Sri Lanka as members of the International Advisory Committee (IAC) to the 8 th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) which is scheduled to be held in Colombo between 19-23 August 2007. 
