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Pacific looks to Asia on how to combat HIV/AIDS

8 April, 2004

As part of ongoing efforts to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Pacific, three New Zealand MPs are joining Pacific parliamentarians on an HIV/AIDS study tour of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Organised by the New Zealand Family Planning Association’s international development unit (FPAID), the 10-day tour begins on Wednesday 14April, and will focus on how the three Asian countries have implemented programmes to successfully manage the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The New Zealand MPs attending are members of the New Zealand Parliamentarians’ Group on Population and Development (NZPPD). They are Labour MP Steve Chadwick (NZPPD chair), Labour MP Lynne Pillay and Green MP Metiria Turei.

The Pacific parliamentarians attending are Hon Dr Talalelei Tuitama (Samoa), Hon Asaeli Masicala (Fiji), Lady Carol Kidu (Papua New Guinea), and Hon Benjamin Una (Minister of Health, Solomon Islands).

New Zealand Family Planning Association executive director Dr Gillian Greer said the study tour follows a recent visit to New Zealand by Dr Peter Piot, executive director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), to mobilise support for the work of UNAIDS. While in New Zealand, Dr Piot met with government ministers, officials and NGOs, including FPA and FPAID.

“Dr Piot reiterated our concerns that the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the Pacific region is increasing rapidly, posing a major threat to development,” Dr Greer said.

“This also adds to New Zealand’s vulnerability, where we have seen rising numbers of people diagnosed with HIV. In 2003, there were 154 people diagnosed with HIV, more than in any previous year.

“Latest official figures place the number of people in the Pacific living with HIV/AIDS at 10,000 but it is widely reported that the actual figure is ten times higher. The highest reported rates in the region are in Papua New Guinea – around 4500 – and urgent action is needed there to avoid an Africa-type pandemic,” Dr Greer said.

“Greater public knowledge, understanding and commitment are vital to prevent, reduce the spread of and minimise the impact of HIV in the Pacific.”

New Zealand is a signatory to the United Nations Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, and is a member of the Pacific parliamentarians group, who have voiced their concern to the NZPPD about the HIV virus and the need to develop a strategic approach to the issue.

Ms Chadwick said the visit provided an opportunity to develop the relationship between New Zealand, Pacific and Asia MPs who share a commitment to reducing the spread and stigma of HIV.

“The study tour will help strengthen Pacific parliamentarians’ understanding of HIV so they are better positioned to influence the way in which their countries respond to the pandemic, and is an opportunity for New Zealand and the Pacific to see how we can work collaboratively on this issue.”

During the trip, the delegation will meet with people from regional and national organisations working in the HIV/AIDS field, talk to people living with HIV/AIDS and explore strategies that can be adapted to a “Pacific model”, Ms Chadwick said.

The study tour has been funded by the Asia Pacific Alliance for the International Conference on Population and Development (APA/ICPD). APA/ICPD is a network of population, development and environmental non-governmental organisations, as well as official development assistance representatives from Pacific Rim donor countries, whose goal is to strengthen cooperation among non-governmental organisations, governments, and related organisations that are committed to population, reproductive health, sustainable development, and other goals set out in the ICPD Programme of Action.

ENDS

For more information please contact:

Dr Gill Greer, Executive Director, Family Planning Association

DDI (04) 382 4030, Mobile 021 627 766