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| ..Press
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UNESCAP News Services |
Date 11
July 2004
Press Release No: L/43/2004
(Embargoed: 12 July 2004 –1000 hours Bangkok time) (Please
check against delivery)
XV International AIDS Conference
Price of Inaction: Meeting the resource
need of HIV/AIDS responses in Asia and the Pacific.
Room O, 12 July 2004, 1030 hrs
Welcome Statement by
Mr Kim Hak-Su
Executive Secretary, UNESCAP
Senator Mechai, UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador,
Dr Katheleen Cravero, Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS, and
Mr Geert van der Linden, Vice-President of ADB
Excellencies,
Dear Participants,
Dear Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of the United Nations Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the regional
arm of the United Nations, it is my privilege and pleasure to
welcome you to this session.
Of all the sessions in the fifteenth International
AIDS Conference, I deem this one of particular importance for
three reasons:
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First, this session focuses on the very region
--- Asia and the Pacific --- that will determine the future
face of the pandemic. This is because of the region’s
enormous population base. With two-thirds of the world’s
population living in this region, the absolute numbers are
staggering. Given current high-risk practices in many parts
of the region, the large population base significantly increases
the potential explosiveness of the pandemic.
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Second, resource levels are not only critical
to programme outcome, but are also an expression of political
outcome. Current investment in HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment,
care and support is meagre in this region, and the resource
gap is tremendous. This region needs to increase its resources
by at least 25 times from the currently available US$ 200
million from the public sector. National leaders must change
their budgetary priorities while there is still time to stop
a rapid escalation of the costs of care. International organizations
and donor agencies have a moral responsibility to help encourage
that change.
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Third, the organizations involved in co-hosting
this session play a crucial role. UNAIDS is an example of
good practice in UN reform; it demonstrates excellence in
technical HIV/AIDS knowledge and leadership, and interagency
coordination. The Asian Development Bank brings to the resource
gap challenge the scale of funding that the region needs.
ADB has just started by offering US$ 140 million as grant
funding for HIV. This is indicative of ADB’s significant
potential as a trend setter in external funding support for
addressing the region’s resource issue.
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UNESCAP is committed to assisting Asian and
Pacific countries in expanding responses to HIV/AIDS.
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The UNESCAP secretariat’s own multidisciplinary
resources are being harnessed to advocate multiministerial
and multisectoral scaling up of responses to HIV/AIDS as a
top priority.
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The significance of this lies in the fact that
UNESCAP is the largest regional commission in the UN system.
With a 62-government membership that includes the three most
populous countries in the world, it is the highest-level intergovernmental
forum for economic and social development.
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As Executive Secretary of UNESCAP, I shall continue
to make personal efforts to engage political leaders, and
finance and planning ministries, to support HIV initiatives.
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You have our full support on collaborative action
to address HIV issues in the region, With such a distinguished
gathering at this session, I am confident that useful specific
recommendations can emerge from your discussion.
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With these brief words, I should like to stop
here to introduce Senator Mechai who will serve as the Chairman
of the session and moderate the discussion.
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Senator Mechai is the UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador
on HIV/AIDS. He holds the popular title of “Condom King
of Thailand.” He earned this title through playing an
extraordinary role in breaking the taboo of sex and sexuality
and pushing the limits to HIV prevention in Thailand. Thailand’s
success as an internationally-recognized good practice in
tackling HIV/AIDS owes a great deal to Senator Mechai’s
vision, creativity and persistence.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
As you know, the United Nations Secretary-General is with us and
I have to rejoin him. I wish you the very best in your deliberations
and hand over the session to Senator Mechai.
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