UNAIDS pursue broader response

UNAIDS pursue broader response

Sari P. Setiogi, Jakarta

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) on
Wednesday opened a new secretariat here, with the aim of
encouraging a wider community response to the fight against the
virus.

"In the last 12 months, we have started to work more closely
with the community and people living with AIDS directly. The
space in the office is for those in the AIDS community to come
and go, and communicate (with us) on a regular basis," UNAIDS
country coordinator for Indonesia Jane Wilson told The Jakarta
Post.

UNAIDS is the coordinating body on HIV/AIDS and works with
other UN organizations, such as the UN Children's Fund (Unicef),
the International Labor Organization (ILO), the World Health
Organization (WHO) and the UN Fund for Population Activities
(UNFPA).

"(With the new secretariat), I think strategic information
will become more available for decision-makers, community groups
and young people," UNAIDS director for the department of country
and regional support, Michel Sidibe, told the Post.

The new secretariat is located at the Menara Thamrin building
in Central Jakarta.

Sidibe said the dissemination of information on HIV/AIDS was
relatively low here, causing misunderstandings that led to
serious discrimination against people living with the virus.

Many people in Indonesia were not aware of how HIV was spread,
with some thinking they could be infected by sharing a swimming
pool with those who were HIV positive or had AIDS, which was
untrue, Wilson said.

The secretariat would aim to attract donations from the
community to support people with AIDS and encourage the
development of a think tank to consider national strategies
against the disease, Sidibe said.

Accurate information on HIV/AIDS would help prevent people
from being infected with HIV and those living with the virus from
being discriminated against, he said.

Indonesia's National Planning Strategy 2001/2003 team revealed
discrimination against people living with AIDS here remained
high, in part due to the absence of laws and regulations on the
issue.

Official health statistics for October 2003 put the number of
people known to have HIV/AIDS in the country at over 130,000.

However, independent bodies estimate the actual number of
people with HIV/AIDS is likely to be far higher.

The first case of AIDS was discovered in Indonesia in 1987.