USAID's HIV / AIDS strategy for Asia: promoting early intervention. An inverview with Kerri-Ann Jones of the U.S. Agency for International Development's Asia Bureau about the USAID HIV / AIDS Strategic Plan for Asia
Aidscaptions 1(3): 22-23
1994
PMID: 12345640 Document Number: 203990
Although the World Health Organization estimates that $1.5-2.9 billion is needed per year to adequately support global HIV/AIDS prevention efforts, less than $200 million/year is being spent to prevent the transmission of HIV in the developing world. Worse still, US Agency for International Development (USAID) resources are shrinking. Two factors make HIV/AIDS prevention action in Asia a particularly urgent priority: more than half of the world's population lives in the region and the AIDS epidemic is still in its formative stages there. Rapid urbanization, high levels of migration, and large commercial sex and transportation industries are also typical in most countries of the region. In this context, the Asia Bureau of USAID adopted a strategic plan against HIV/AIDS in June 1993. In so doing, the bureau plans to work with the AIDSCAP program to coordinate prevention efforts and maximize the use of all available resources against the epidemic. Strategy focuses upon policy dialogue, communication to promote behavior change, improving the management of sexually transmitted diseases, improving access to condoms, monitoring and evaluation, and behavioral research. Interventions recommended by the plan, USAID coordination with other donors in the region, coordination with other AIDS prevention efforts already underway in a country, mission response to the plan, the interest of Asian governments in AIDS prevention, and the mechanism by which the plan is carried out are discussed.