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7th
ASEAN Summit Declaration on HIV/AIDS
5 November 2001, Brunei
Darussalam
[1] WE
the Heads of State and Government of the Association of
South East Asian Nations (hereinafter referred to as ASEAN):
[2]
RECALLING
that the ASEAN Vision 2020, adopted by the 2nd
ASEAN Informal Summit held in Kuala Lumpur in December
1997, envisioned ASEAN as a concert of South East Asian
nations, outward looking, living in peace, stability and
prosperity, bonded together in partnership in dynamic
development and in a community of caring societies;
[3]
RECALLING
the UN Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS adopted at
the 26th Special Session of the General
Assembly in June 2001 that secured a global commitment to
enhancing coordination and intensification of national,
regional and international efforts to combat HIV/AIDS in a
comprehensive manner;
[4]
DEEPLY CONCERNED
that the HIV/AIDS pandemic is a threat to human security
and a formidable challenge to the right to life and
dignity that affects all levels of society without
distinction of age, gender or
race and which undermines social and economic
development;
[5] RECOGNISING
that at least 1.6 million people are living with HIV/AIDS
in the ASEAN region, and that the number is increasing
rapidly through risk behaviors exacerbated by economic,
social, political, financial and legal obstacles as well
as harmful attitudes and customary practices which also
hamper awareness, education, prevention, care, support and
treatment efforts, particularly to vulnerable groups;
[6]
REITERATING
the call of the Ha Noi Declaration adopted by the Sixth
ASEAN Summit in December 1998 that we shall make sure our
people are assured of adequate medical care and access to
essential medicines and that cooperation shall be stepped
up in the control and prevention of communicable diseases,
including HIV/AIDS;
[7] NOTING
the Joint Declaration for a Socially Cohesive and Caring
ASEAN adopted at the 33rd ASEAN Ministerial
Meeting held in Bangkok in July 2000, to strengthen
people-centered policies that will promote a positive
environment for the disadvantaged, including those who are
in ill health;
[8] COMMITTED
to realizing a drug-free ASEAN, as called for by the
Joint Declaration for a Drug-Free ASEAN adopted by the 33rd
ASEAN Ministerial Meeting held in July 2000 and the
Bangkok Political Declaration in pursuit of a Drug-Free
ASEAN 2015 adopted by the International Congress “In
Pursuit of a Drug Free ASEAN” held in October 2000;
[9] ENCOURAGED
by the notable progress of the ASEAN Task Force on AIDS in
responding to the call by the Fourth ASEAN Summit held in
Singapore in February 1992, to implement regional
activities on health and HIV/AIDS aimed at curbing and
monitoring the spread of HIV by exchanging information on
HIV/AIDS, particularly in the formulation and
implementation of joint policies and programs against the
deadly disease;
[10] REALISING
that prevention
is the mainstay of the response to HIV infection and that
there are opportunities for the ASEAN region to prevent
the wide-scale spread of HIV/AIDS by learning from the
experiences of some ASEAN Member Countries, which have
invested in prevention programs that have reduced HIV
prevalence or maintained a low prevalence;
[11] ACKNOWLEDGING that prevention, treatment, care and support for those infected and
affected by HIV/AIDS are mutually reinforcing elements
that must be integrated in a comprehensive approach to
combat the epidemic;
[12]
STRESSING
that gender equality and the empowerment of women are
fundamental elements in the reduction of the vulnerability
of women and girls to HIV/AIDS, and that youth are
especially vulnerable to the spread of the pandemic and
account for over fifty percent of new infections;
[13]
AFFIRMING
that a
multisectoral response has resulted in a number of
effective actions for HIV prevention, treatment, care and
support and minimization of the impact of HIV/AIDS;
[14] AWARE
that resources
commensurate with the extent of the problem have to be
allocated for prevention, treatment, care and support;
[15]
EMPHASISING
that the epidemic can be prevented, halted and reversed
with strong leadership, political commitment, multi-sectoral
collaboration and partnerships at the national and
regional levels;
Hereby
DECLARE TO:
LEADERSHIP
[16]
LEAD AND GUIDE
the national responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic as a
national priority to prevent the spread of HIV infection
and reduce the impact of the epidemic by integrating
HIV/AIDS prevention, care, treatment and support and
impact mitigation priorities into the mainstream of
national development planning, including poverty
eradication strategies and sectoral development plans;
[17]
PROMOTE the creation of a positive
environment in confronting stigma, silence and denial;
elimination of discrimination; addressing the prevention,
treatment, care and support needs of those in vulnerable
groups and people at risk, particularly young people and
women; and strengthening the capacity of the health,
education and legal systems;
[18]
INTENSIFY and STRENGTHEN
multisectoral collaboration involving all development
ministries and mobilising for full and active
participation a wide range of non governmental
organisations, the business sector, media, community based
organisations, religious leaders, families, citizens as
well as people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in the
planning, implementation and evaluation of national
responses to HIV/AIDS including efforts to promote mutual
self help;
[19]
INTENSIFY inter-ministerial
collaboration at the national and international levels to
implement HIV/AIDS programmes;
[20]
SUPPORT strongly
the mobilization of
technical,
financial and human resources to adequately advocate for
and implement national and regional programs and policies
to combat HIV/AIDS, including efforts to promote mutual
self-help;
REGIONAL
ACTIVITIES IN SUPPORT OF NATIONAL PROGRAMMES
[21]
CONTINUE collaboration
in regional activities that support national programs
particularly in the area of education and life skills
training for youths; effective prevention of sexual
transmission of HIV; monitoring HIV, STDs and risk
behaviors; treatment, care and support for people living
with and affected by HIV; prevention of mother to child
transmission; creating a positive environment for
prevention, treatment, care and support; HIV prevention
and care for drug users and strengthening regional
coordination among agencies working with youths;
JOINT
REGIONAL ACTIONS
[22]
STRENGTHEN regional
mechanisms and INCREASE and OPTIMISE the
utilisation of resources to support joint regional actions
to increase access to affordable drugs and testing
re-agents; reduce the vulnerability of mobile populations
to HIV infection and provide access to information, care
and treatment; adopt and promote innovative inter-sectoral
collaboration to effectively reduce socioeconomic
vulnerability and impact, expand prevention strategies and
provide care, treatment and support;
[23]
MONITOR and EVALUATE the
activities at all levels and systematically conduct
periodic reviews and information sharing with the full and
active participation of non-governmental organisations,
community-based organisations, people living with
HIV/AIDS, vulnerable groups and caregivers;
INTERNATIONAL
COLLABORATION
[24]
URGE ASEAN
Dialogue Partners, the UN system organisations, donor
agencies and other international organisations to support
greater action and coordination, including their full
participation in the development and implementation of the
actions contained in this Declaration, and also to support
the establishment of the Global HIV/AIDS and health fund
to ensure that countries in the region would have equal
opportunity to access the fund;
ASEAN
WORK PROGRAMME ON HIV/AIDS
[25]
ADOPT
the ASEAN Work Programme on HIV/AIDS and work together
towards accomplishing the regional activities in support
of national programs and joint regional actions.
ADOPTED
on this Fifth Day of November 2001 in Bandar Seri Begawan,
Brunei Darussalam.
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