Publications

The EMPHASIS project (Enhancing Mobile Populations’ Access to HIV and AIDS Services, Information and Support) has provided a diverse range of services to cross-border migrants in India, Nepal and Bangladesh over the past five years. This report explores the project and the lessons it offers for both implementation and outcomes. It focuses, in particular, on women’s empowerment and safe migration, as these are the two areas that emerged as cross-cutting themes that had a major impact on the agency of women who were, in turn, catalysts for change over the five years of the project.

- A comprehensive and context-specific approach is required to tackle migrants’ vulnerabilities including addressing issues related to safety and dignity, rights and entitlements, as well as HIV and broader health-related challenges. - To maximise impact, projects targeting migrants should plan interventions at source, transit and destination with both migrants and their spouses. - Migration projects should include components that focus on women migrants’ specific vulnerabilities, such as harassment, violence, stigma and discrimination, as well as their vulnerability to HIV and other health problems.

While mobility itself is not seen as vulnerability factor for HIV infection, the unsafe conditions under which people migrate exposes them to a greater risk of infection. Not only do policies and programmes in receiving or host countries hinder migrants from accessing health and social services, but cultural factors and their legal status may contribute to the discrimination they face and act as a further barrier to accessing services. Difficult working conditions, loneliness and feelings of powerlessness, together with peer pressure, may lead migrants to engage in risky sexual behaviours that leave them vulnerable to HIV and AIDS. Similarly, those left at home may also face loneliness and exclusion. They may engage in risky behaviours for livelihood and survival purposes – particularly if the hoped-for remittances from migrants do not materialise – and can also be exposed to HIV infection by returning spouses or partners who may not be aware of their own HIV infection. This briefing focuses on the situation across three South Asian countries, Nepal, Bangladesh and India.

AIDS 2014 will bring together leading scientists, public health experts, policy makers and the HIV-affected community to translate recent momentous scientific advances into action that will address means to end the epidemic within the current context of significant global economic challenges.

The Pacific Sexual Health and Well-Being Shared Agenda 2015–2019 is a visionary document that provides guidance and strategic direction to strengthen the sexual health response in the Pacific region by shifting the focus from a single disease to a rights-based comprehensive approach to sexual health.

Evidence has emerged over the past few years on the effectiveness of antiretroviral-based prevention technologies to prevent (i) HIV transmission while decreasing morbidity and mortality in HIV-infected persons, and (ii) HIV acquisition in HIV-uninfected individuals through pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). This paper describes challenges for the implementation of antiretroviral-based prevention and makes the case that TasP and PrEP implementation research in Asia is much needed to provide insights into the feasibility of these interventions in populations where firm evidence of ‘real world’ effectiveness is still lacking.

In compliance with the Law on Statistics of Mongolia, National Statistical Office of Mongolia conducted the first "Social Indicator Sample Survey - 2013" with support from the Government of Mongolia, UNICEF and UNFPA. The survey data is a key pillar to determine and plan further activities linked to national policy. It will inform actions by decision makers, international organizations and other users of statistical data. The data is also a fundamental source for specialized and in-depth analysis and research. The survey results will lead to the compilation of sectoral indicators in the areas of health, education, development and protection, well-being of rights of children and women. These are complemented by indicators of the reproductive health, family planning, knowledge and attitude towards HIV/AIDS and sexual behaviour of Mongolian men and women.

In compliance with the Law on Statistics of Mongolia, National Statistical Office of Mongolia conducted the first "Social Indicator Sample Survey - 2013" with support from the Government of Mongolia, UNICEF and UNFPA. The survey data is a key pillar to determine and plan further activities linked to national policy. It will inform actions by decision makers, international organizations and other users of statistical data. The data is also a fundamental source for specialized and in-depth analysis and research. The survey results will lead to the compilation of sectoral indicators in the areas of health, education, development and protection, well-being of rights of children and women. These are complemented by indicators of the reproductive health, family planning, knowledge and attitude towards HIV/AIDS and sexual behaviour of Mongolian men and women.

This paper enshrines the concept of equality through Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) to provide a resource for the ASEAN Intergovernmental Human Rights Commission (AICHR) in its engagement with the ASEAN governments using international standards in promoting and protecting the human rights of women and girl children. With the exception of Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore who have no reservation to the substantive articles of CEDAW, most of the ASEAN countries have ratified CEDAW and have undertaken binding obligations to promote and protect the human rights of women according CEDAW standards.

The report is intended to provide information primarily for public health policy-makers and managers, and for the wider medical and public health community (including pharmaceutical companies), as a support for informing strategic actions and programme planning. It will also be of interest to the other sectors that are directly involved, including veterinary drug and animal husbandry, agriculture and aquaculture.