[Ip-health] CARE, UNAIDS and Lawyers Collective HIV/AIDS Unit at ICAAP 8

[chan park]

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[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
Media Advisory

  CARE, UNAIDS and Lawyers Collective, India organize ICAAP 8 panel to unde=
rscore need for Effective Access to HIV/AIDS Treatment for the Poor

  In Asia, the majority of people living with HIV do not access treatment. =
Often, they cannot afford to travel to a treatment centre or a laboratory t=
hat will determine their CD4 level. Even when they can receive free ARV fro=
m a government programme, they struggle to pay for treatment of opportunist=
ic infections and biological tests -Lawyers Collective, CARE and UNAIDS cal=
l for action to ensure access to effective and affordable treatment for poo=
r and marginalized communities in Asia. The three organizations are sponsor=
ing a special panel at the 8th International Congress on AIDS in Asia (ICAA=
P8) being held in Colombo Sri Lanka looking at this issue.

  Panel Discussion: Access, Medicines, Treatment: The Impact of Price and D=
istance on treating HIV/AIDS in Asia
  Date: August 22, 2007
  Time: 6:30-8:00 PM
  Venue: Room C, Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Center, Col=
ombo, Sri Lanka.

  Panelists include:
  Dr. Denis Broun, UNAIDS Country Coordinator, India (Chair);
  Anand Grover, Head, Lawyers Collective (HIV Unit), India;
  D. G. Shah, Secretary General, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance;
  Dr. Adeeba Kamarulzaman, Head, Malaysian AIDS Council;
  Chan Park, Snr. Technical and Policy Advisor, Lawyers Collective, India;
  Madhu Deshmukh, director HIV/AIDS Unit, CARE USA;
  Khun Jon Ungphakorn, Founder, AIDS Access Foundation of Thailand.

  For more information contact:
  Amelia Andrews, CARE  +919313869174 amelia@careindia.org
  Manisha Mishra, UNAIDS +91-9810882273, mishram@unaids.org
  Chan Park, Lawyers Collective  +919899452377 chan.park@lawyerscollective.=
org

  UNAIDS is an innovative joint venture of the United Nations, bringing tog=
ether the efforts and resources of the UNAIDS Secretariat and ten UN system=
 organizations in the AIDS response. Coherent action on AIDS by the UN syst=
em is coordinated in countries through UN theme groups, and the joint progr=
ammes on AIDS. UNAIDS=92 Cosponsors include UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA=
, UNODC, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank.
  Lawyers Collective was established in 1981 and is one of the leading publ=
ic interest service providers in India with a proven record of setting high=
 standards in human rights advocacy, legal aid and litigation.
  CARE fights root causes of poverty in the world=92s poorest communities i=
n 66 countries. It focuses on working with poor women through its community=
-based efforts to improve education, prevent the spread of HIV, increase ac=
cess to water and sanitation, expand economic opportunity and protect natur=
al resources.