The Asia Pacific AIDS congress ended in Bangkok on Friday amid the Bangladesh Prime Minister’s call to the global community to join the 2015 meet in Dhaka to explore ‘Beautiful Bangladesh’.
After her call, more than 3000 participants from 80 countries at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre witnessed a Bangladesh show with the rendition by singers and video clippings showing ‘Beautiful Bangladesh’.
The four-day meet extensively discussed how to control HIV infections, AIDS deaths and stigma as well as discrimination associated with it.
The Prime Minister invited the global community to come to Dhaka with “a view to furthering the cause of eliminating AIDS from the Asia and the Pacific region and beyond to the rest of the world”.
She said Bangladesh would be the most appropriate place to hold such a congress as “our country has successfully faced the challenges of AIDS”.
Hasina also told them about Bangladesh’s natural beauties. “You’ll also have opportunity to enjoy the bountiful natural beauty, the sandy sea beach and mangrove forest of our beautiful Bangladesh”.
After her call, a video showcased authenticity of the country’s nature and love and hospitality of its people.
Singers SD Rubel, Dinat Jahan Munni, Kana and Sweety invited them with a chorus “Come and see Bangladesh”. Drummers also roared with their Bangladeshi beats.
Earlier, NM Samuel, President of the AIDS Society of Asia and the Pacific, handed over the charge of the 12th ICAAP to its Bangladesh co-chair, Health Secretary MN Neaz Uddin.
“The ICAAP12 will be firmly supported by the ICAAP11,” Samuel said, “Towards an AIDS free generation” would be the theme of the Dhaka meet.
Secretary Neaz Uddin earlier had made the official announcement about Bangladesh hosting the next meet at a press briefing at the congress on Thursday.
“We are proud to be the host and will try to make it successful with all of your help,” he daid at Friday’s closing ceremony.
The Dhaka meet will be the first global AIDS conference after the 2015 September UN General Assembly in which the post-2015 development agenda will be passed.
The UNAIDS Country Coordinator in Bangladesh Leo Kenny earlier told bdnews24.com that the ICAAP would be a ‘lighthouse’ between now and 2015.
He said it would bring countries and communities together “to think very carefully what HIV/AIDS mean over the next decade”.
The Asia-Pacific region is the largest region in the world that witnessed estimated 350,000 new HIV infections only last year.
But according to a UN report, stigma and discrimination made it very difficult to fight off the new infections.
The just-concluded congress noted that fear, hatred, mental and physical violence are widespread in the region and called for actions as stigma lead to discriminations and both together are “deadlier than the virus”.
Criminalisation of the sex workers, men have sex with men and transgender populations have also been seen as a major impediment in the way of preventions.
“We cannot achieve two other zeros – zero new infections and zero AIDS deaths – if we do not address stigma and discrimination,” the congress noted.
It also showed instance of India where new infections had been cut more than 50 percent by doubling the creation of favourable environments like changing attitudes in healthcare settings by the service providers.
The fear of performing surgeries to a patient with HIV comes down to 11 percent from 30 percent in Vietnam.
People who live with HIV also expressed their dreams. One said: “What I am today, it’s for my past and that I cannot change. But I can only pray for a better life”.
Different governments, civil society as well as faith groups, national, and international organisations in their statements committed to scale up testing facilities and create enabling environment for people with HIV and AIDS.
Bangladesh has been extolled for maintaining its low prevalence and recent recognition of ‘Hijra’ populations as a separate gender.
But it was also criticised for prevailing stigma and discriminations.
A UN report during the conference showed at least 20 percent people living with HIV avoided healthcare facilities because of their infections.
The congress further urged the governments across the region to take leadership and to increase investments to fight against the disease.
Inter-governmental organisation Partners for Population and Development (PPD) that promotes South-South cooperation will be the co-host of the Dhaka ICAAP.
| “On behalf of the people of Bangladesh, I have the great pleasure to welcome you all in Bangladesh,” Sheikh Hasina said in a pre-recorded video. It was played at the closing of the 11th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP11) in the Thai capital amid thunderous applause. |
After her call, more than 3000 participants from 80 countries at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre witnessed a Bangladesh show with the rendition by singers and video clippings showing ‘Beautiful Bangladesh’.
The four-day meet extensively discussed how to control HIV infections, AIDS deaths and stigma as well as discrimination associated with it.
The Prime Minister invited the global community to come to Dhaka with “a view to furthering the cause of eliminating AIDS from the Asia and the Pacific region and beyond to the rest of the world”.
She said Bangladesh would be the most appropriate place to hold such a congress as “our country has successfully faced the challenges of AIDS”.
Hasina also told them about Bangladesh’s natural beauties. “You’ll also have opportunity to enjoy the bountiful natural beauty, the sandy sea beach and mangrove forest of our beautiful Bangladesh”.
After her call, a video showcased authenticity of the country’s nature and love and hospitality of its people.
Singers SD Rubel, Dinat Jahan Munni, Kana and Sweety invited them with a chorus “Come and see Bangladesh”. Drummers also roared with their Bangladeshi beats.
Earlier, NM Samuel, President of the AIDS Society of Asia and the Pacific, handed over the charge of the 12th ICAAP to its Bangladesh co-chair, Health Secretary MN Neaz Uddin.
“The ICAAP12 will be firmly supported by the ICAAP11,” Samuel said, “Towards an AIDS free generation” would be the theme of the Dhaka meet.
Secretary Neaz Uddin earlier had made the official announcement about Bangladesh hosting the next meet at a press briefing at the congress on Thursday.
“We are proud to be the host and will try to make it successful with all of your help,” he daid at Friday’s closing ceremony.
The Dhaka meet will be the first global AIDS conference after the 2015 September UN General Assembly in which the post-2015 development agenda will be passed.
The UNAIDS Country Coordinator in Bangladesh Leo Kenny earlier told bdnews24.com that the ICAAP would be a ‘lighthouse’ between now and 2015.
He said it would bring countries and communities together “to think very carefully what HIV/AIDS mean over the next decade”.
The Asia-Pacific region is the largest region in the world that witnessed estimated 350,000 new HIV infections only last year.
But according to a UN report, stigma and discrimination made it very difficult to fight off the new infections.
The just-concluded congress noted that fear, hatred, mental and physical violence are widespread in the region and called for actions as stigma lead to discriminations and both together are “deadlier than the virus”.
Criminalisation of the sex workers, men have sex with men and transgender populations have also been seen as a major impediment in the way of preventions.
“We cannot achieve two other zeros – zero new infections and zero AIDS deaths – if we do not address stigma and discrimination,” the congress noted.
It also showed instance of India where new infections had been cut more than 50 percent by doubling the creation of favourable environments like changing attitudes in healthcare settings by the service providers.
The fear of performing surgeries to a patient with HIV comes down to 11 percent from 30 percent in Vietnam.
People who live with HIV also expressed their dreams. One said: “What I am today, it’s for my past and that I cannot change. But I can only pray for a better life”.
Different governments, civil society as well as faith groups, national, and international organisations in their statements committed to scale up testing facilities and create enabling environment for people with HIV and AIDS.
Bangladesh has been extolled for maintaining its low prevalence and recent recognition of ‘Hijra’ populations as a separate gender.
But it was also criticised for prevailing stigma and discriminations.
A UN report during the conference showed at least 20 percent people living with HIV avoided healthcare facilities because of their infections.
The congress further urged the governments across the region to take leadership and to increase investments to fight against the disease.
Inter-governmental organisation Partners for Population and Development (PPD) that promotes South-South cooperation will be the co-host of the Dhaka ICAAP.
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