12:52 AM
The National Epidemiology Center of the Department of Health, with support from UNAIDS, has commissioned an independent consultant, Dr. Maridel Borja, to assess the Philippine AIDS Registry. The assessment was started in August 2008 and will end by October 2008.
The scope of work for the consultancy includes: 1) assessing the AIDS Registry by describing the purpose and objectives of the system, its standard operating procedures, and resources utilized to operate the system.; 2) Identifying measures to enhance the Registry’s capability to capture, analyze and report HIV and AIDS related data; 3) Identifying other data (either new or existing from other databases, e.g., electronic medical records) for inclusion to the registry; 4) Designing a data analysis plan to maximize data utilization by various stakeholders; 5) Recommending strategies to increase utilization of data generated by the registry as bases for policy formulation and appropriate actions to stem the occurrence of an impending epidemic; and, 6) Determining the feasibility of setting-up the electronic medical records (EMR) online.
The assessment included desk reviews of registry related documents, records and data, key informant interviews and small group discussions, site and facility visits, and a consensus building workshop held last 22 October 2008 at the Richmonde Hotel, Pasig City (see photos below).
The scope of work for the consultancy includes: 1) assessing the AIDS Registry by describing the purpose and objectives of the system, its standard operating procedures, and resources utilized to operate the system.; 2) Identifying measures to enhance the Registry’s capability to capture, analyze and report HIV and AIDS related data; 3) Identifying other data (either new or existing from other databases, e.g., electronic medical records) for inclusion to the registry; 4) Designing a data analysis plan to maximize data utilization by various stakeholders; 5) Recommending strategies to increase utilization of data generated by the registry as bases for policy formulation and appropriate actions to stem the occurrence of an impending epidemic; and, 6) Determining the feasibility of setting-up the electronic medical records (EMR) online.
The assessment included desk reviews of registry related documents, records and data, key informant interviews and small group discussions, site and facility visits, and a consensus building workshop held last 22 October 2008 at the Richmonde Hotel, Pasig City (see photos below).
7:13 PM
Redefining AIDS in Asia - Crafting an Effective Response
A Report of The Commission On AIDS Asia
http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2008/20080326_report_commission_aids_en.pdf
March 26, 2008
AIDS remains the leading cause of death and lost works days in the most productive age groups in Asia.
Countries need to craft a new response – calls the Independent Commission on AIDS in Asia.
New York-Even after two decades, AIDS remains the most likely cause of death and work days lost among 15-44 years-olds in Asia warns the independent Commission on AIDS in Asia. These findings were released today in a report entitled “Redefining AIDS in Asia-Crafting an effective response” by an independent Commission, consisting of nine members across Asia and led by Dr. C. Rangarajan, Chief Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister of India.
The report was presented to the United Nation Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The Secretary General commended the Commission on this unique achievement, and appealed to the Governments and civil societies of Asian countries to adopt the Report and implement its recommendations seriously. “Asia is home to some of the fastest-growing economies in the world, and holds the key to social and economic emancipation and development for the millions of poor people,” the Secretary-General said. “But we will never see equitable progress if some parts of the population are still denied basic health and human rights – people living with HIV, sex workers, men who have sex with men, and young people who inject drugs. I look to Asian Governments to amend outdated laws criminalizing the most vulnerable sections of the society, and take all the measures needed to ensure they live in dignity. By implementing the recommendations of the Commission, Asian countries can avert massive increases in infections and death, prevent economic losses, and save millions of people from poverty. Such leadership is critical in Asia today.”
Nearly five million people are living with HIV in Asia, with 440,000 people acquiring the infection in 2007 and 300,000 dying from AIDS related illness in the same year. At this rate, the study contends, an additional eight million people will become newly infected by 2020.
Dr. Rangarajan underscored the importance of the commission’s findings and recommendations. “Over the past 18 months, the commission has collected, reviewed and synthesized the scientific evidence surrounding the epidemics in Asia to recommend a more effective response” The Chairman went on to highlight three central findings to the Commission’s work. First, the Commission found that the existing global classification of low, concentrated and generalized epidemics does not reflect the situation in Asian countries, and recommended formulation of a new classification, which describes epidemics according to the biological and behavioral trends. Dr. Rangarajan also highlighted that the current allocation of the existing resources has not focused on effective priority interventions which can have impact on the epidemic and reduce new infections. The commission recommends that an annual investment of only $0.30 per capita on focused prevention programmes can reverse the epidemics. Finally, despite the significant household-level impact of AIDS, the Commission found that impact mitigation programmes for affected household were absent from most country level responses in Asia.
Welcoming the report, Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) expressed his appreciation for the Commission’s efforts to bring a new perspective on the Asian epidemic, including its pragmatic recommendations. “The findings of this report demonstrate the diversity of the AIDS epidemics in Asia and the need for countries to understand what is driving their epidemics and how to reach populations most risk of HIV infection,” said Dr. Piot. “Focused prevention efforts are an essential part of scaling up to universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.”
According to the report, if Asian countries fail to mount a largely scaled up priority response in Asia they will have to incur dramatic costs due to their inaction. This will mean that:
- Almost 8 million adults and children in Asia-Pacific will be newly infected between 2008 and 2020.
- The annual death toll will increase to almost 500,000 by 2020
“The report of the Commission defines a new role for civic society irrespective of the political structure in Asian countries. Community organizations of People Living with HIV and marginalised groups like sex workers, drug users, men who have sex with men and transgender must be involved not just in delivery of services but at policy making level” says Frika Iskandar, AIDS activist in Asia and an HIV-positive woman, sitting on the Commission. During the proceedings of the Commission, Iskandar led civil society survey, which synthesized on-line responses from hundreds of representatives of community groups who were involved in AIDS related work throughout Asia. “I am speaking for 600 individuals and organizations in the community, who have responded enthusiastically to the Commission call,” she explained.
Striking an optimistic note the Commission observes that if Asian leaders implement a priority program right away:
- The number of people newly infected by 2020 can be kept to 3 million, less than half the number of new infections expected otherwise.
- The death toll can be kept to less than 300,000 in 2020, saving the lives of more than 200,000 people each year.
By spending between half a dollar to one dollar per capita, depending on the prevalence rate in the country, 80% coverage of HIV prevention, treatment, care and livelihood security programs can be achieved, the Commission observes. Asian countries have the resources, the technology and organizational capacity for vastly scaled up response to the AIDS epidemic. What is required is political will of the Governments in Asia and meaningful involvement of community-based organizations in the response.
Contact:
New York-Mark Aurigemma [ +1-646-270-9451 ] mark@aucomm.net
Bangkok-Jeannie Hallacy [ +66-86-003-2316 ] hallacy@loxinfo.co.th
A Report of The Commission On AIDS Asia
http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2008/20080326_report_commission_aids_en.pdf
March 26, 2008
AIDS remains the leading cause of death and lost works days in the most productive age groups in Asia.
Countries need to craft a new response – calls the Independent Commission on AIDS in Asia.
New York-Even after two decades, AIDS remains the most likely cause of death and work days lost among 15-44 years-olds in Asia warns the independent Commission on AIDS in Asia. These findings were released today in a report entitled “Redefining AIDS in Asia-Crafting an effective response” by an independent Commission, consisting of nine members across Asia and led by Dr. C. Rangarajan, Chief Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister of India.
The report was presented to the United Nation Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The Secretary General commended the Commission on this unique achievement, and appealed to the Governments and civil societies of Asian countries to adopt the Report and implement its recommendations seriously. “Asia is home to some of the fastest-growing economies in the world, and holds the key to social and economic emancipation and development for the millions of poor people,” the Secretary-General said. “But we will never see equitable progress if some parts of the population are still denied basic health and human rights – people living with HIV, sex workers, men who have sex with men, and young people who inject drugs. I look to Asian Governments to amend outdated laws criminalizing the most vulnerable sections of the society, and take all the measures needed to ensure they live in dignity. By implementing the recommendations of the Commission, Asian countries can avert massive increases in infections and death, prevent economic losses, and save millions of people from poverty. Such leadership is critical in Asia today.”
Nearly five million people are living with HIV in Asia, with 440,000 people acquiring the infection in 2007 and 300,000 dying from AIDS related illness in the same year. At this rate, the study contends, an additional eight million people will become newly infected by 2020.
Dr. Rangarajan underscored the importance of the commission’s findings and recommendations. “Over the past 18 months, the commission has collected, reviewed and synthesized the scientific evidence surrounding the epidemics in Asia to recommend a more effective response” The Chairman went on to highlight three central findings to the Commission’s work. First, the Commission found that the existing global classification of low, concentrated and generalized epidemics does not reflect the situation in Asian countries, and recommended formulation of a new classification, which describes epidemics according to the biological and behavioral trends. Dr. Rangarajan also highlighted that the current allocation of the existing resources has not focused on effective priority interventions which can have impact on the epidemic and reduce new infections. The commission recommends that an annual investment of only $0.30 per capita on focused prevention programmes can reverse the epidemics. Finally, despite the significant household-level impact of AIDS, the Commission found that impact mitigation programmes for affected household were absent from most country level responses in Asia.
Welcoming the report, Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) expressed his appreciation for the Commission’s efforts to bring a new perspective on the Asian epidemic, including its pragmatic recommendations. “The findings of this report demonstrate the diversity of the AIDS epidemics in Asia and the need for countries to understand what is driving their epidemics and how to reach populations most risk of HIV infection,” said Dr. Piot. “Focused prevention efforts are an essential part of scaling up to universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.”
According to the report, if Asian countries fail to mount a largely scaled up priority response in Asia they will have to incur dramatic costs due to their inaction. This will mean that:
- Almost 8 million adults and children in Asia-Pacific will be newly infected between 2008 and 2020.
- The annual death toll will increase to almost 500,000 by 2020
“The report of the Commission defines a new role for civic society irrespective of the political structure in Asian countries. Community organizations of People Living with HIV and marginalised groups like sex workers, drug users, men who have sex with men and transgender must be involved not just in delivery of services but at policy making level” says Frika Iskandar, AIDS activist in Asia and an HIV-positive woman, sitting on the Commission. During the proceedings of the Commission, Iskandar led civil society survey, which synthesized on-line responses from hundreds of representatives of community groups who were involved in AIDS related work throughout Asia. “I am speaking for 600 individuals and organizations in the community, who have responded enthusiastically to the Commission call,” she explained.
Striking an optimistic note the Commission observes that if Asian leaders implement a priority program right away:
- The number of people newly infected by 2020 can be kept to 3 million, less than half the number of new infections expected otherwise.
- The death toll can be kept to less than 300,000 in 2020, saving the lives of more than 200,000 people each year.
By spending between half a dollar to one dollar per capita, depending on the prevalence rate in the country, 80% coverage of HIV prevention, treatment, care and livelihood security programs can be achieved, the Commission observes. Asian countries have the resources, the technology and organizational capacity for vastly scaled up response to the AIDS epidemic. What is required is political will of the Governments in Asia and meaningful involvement of community-based organizations in the response.
Contact:
New York-Mark Aurigemma [ +1-646-270-9451 ] mark@aucomm.net
Bangkok-Jeannie Hallacy [ +66-86-003-2316 ] hallacy@loxinfo.co.th
8:57 PM
Research Agenda 2005-2010:
Priorities for Research on the AIDS Situation and Response in the Philippines
The development of the 4th AIDS Medium Term Plan 2005-2010 (AMTP IV), as well as other significant gains in the area of monitoring and evaluation vis-à-vis the global and national response to AIDS, calls for an updated Research Agenda which is responsive to the changing information needs of the country. Hence, the Research Agenda 2005-2010: Priorities for Research on the AIDS Situation and Response in the Philippines was developed. It is intended to serve as a guide for policy makers, researchers, program planners and implementers, and other stakeholders in the National Response to AIDS.
The Research Agenda can also help to inform decision-makers with regard to the allocation of resources for research. Program planning and implementation which is informed by relevant research will ultimately benefit persons infected and affected by HIV, most-at-risk populations and vulnerable populations, as well as the general public. The Research Agenda is thus envisioned as a contribution toward the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, specifically Goal 6 which sets the following target: “To halt and reverse the spread of HIV by 2015.”
The Research Agenda 2005-2010 features a list of priority topics which is intended to serve as a guide in the selection of research studies to be conducted. The research topics are grouped into four clusters, namely:
- The burden of illness
- The determinants of the spread of HIV
- The responses to HIV and AIDS
- Enhancing management systems
In addition to the list of priority topics, the Research Agenda 2005-2010 also includes a comprehensive compilation of research studies on HIV and AIDS undertaken from 2000 - 2007.
The topics included in the Research Agenda correspond to vital information needs of the country. Accurate and timely information on various aspects of the HIV situation and the response to AIDS need to be generated so that the country can move toward its goal of preventing the further spread of HIV infection and reducing the impact of the disease by 2010. Furthermore, there is a need to generate information so that the Philippines can prepare the necessary reports which are part of its commitments as a signatory to international agreements, such as the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) Declaration of Commitment on HIV and AIDS. These reports, which are to be submitted at designated intervals, measure the country’s progress in implementing an effective and appropriate response to AIDS.
Copies of the Research Agenda may be requested from:
- Dr. Jessie Fantone, M&E Officer, PNAC Secretariat - jessiefantone@yahoo.com
- Ms. Noemi B. Leis, Resource Center Coordinator, HAIN - noemi.leis@hain.org
- Mr. Zimmbodilion Mosende, M&E Adviser, UNAIDS - mosendez@unaids.org
8:27 PM
The National Center for Disease Prevention and Control Program (NCDPCP) through the National AIDS/STI Prevention Control Program (NASPCP) with support from UNICEF conducted a dissemination forum on the Pilot Implementation of Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) last September 5, 2008 at Traders Hotel in Pasay City.The objectives of the forum were:
- To review global and regional trends and perspectives of PMTCT as well as approaches of linking MCH (maternal child health), STI, HIV interventions
- To provide an update on the Philippine HIV data and current response
- To disseminate and discuss the Davao Medical Center PMTCT review findings
- To consult with stakeholders on key issues of national PMTCT guidelines and scale up
- To look at PMTCT as part of the Philippine’s national response
Rationale
The Philippine AIDS Registry reported that in 2006, a total of 37 HIV infections were caused by mother-to-child transmission (1.5%), the second largest reported mode of transmission. Based on the data, perinatal transmission was also to leading cause of HIV infection among infants and children below 14 years of age in the Philippines.
In an effort to prevent new HIV infections in women and children, the Department of Heath (DOH) in collaboration with the Davao Medical Center (DMC), with support from UNICEF, initiated a pilot PMTCT program implemented from July 16, 2007 to March 2008. The target for the PMTCT pilot implementation was to reach all pregnant women attending antenatal care (ANC) in DMC with comprehensive PMTCT services.
The Review Team was composed of Dr. Jose Gerard Belimac, Program Manager, NASPCP, Dr. Renee Faldas, STI and HIV Coordinator, DOH Region 11, Ms. Gudrun Nadoll, HIV and AIDS Specialist, UNICEF Philippines, Mr. Philip Castro, HIV and AIDS Officer, UNICEF Philippines and Dr. Madeline Salva, Programme Officer, WHO Philippines.
Dr. Belimac presented the findings of the Review Team.
Review findings and highlights
- 4,019 women attending ANC were reached by HIV education and counseling
- 1,736 (43%) of which had voluntary HIV testing
- 546 (32%) of those who were tested received their results
- None among the pregnant women tested was HIV positive
- 224 male partners of women attending ANC volunteered for HIV testing
- 30 (13%) received their results and all were negative
Achievements and additional findings
- The Review Team conducted a PMTCT training package among a team of doctors, nurses, midwives, social workers and laboratory personnel
- HIV education was part of the routine services for pregnant women accessing ANC at the Out-Patient Department
- A protocol to implement PMTCT was developed
- The current epidemiological context, DMC would need to test about 5000 women of the antenatal population in order to identify one HIV infection
- Generally, ANC services were perceived to be readily accessible and affordable by clients including women of the general population, women living with HIV and women in sex work
- The PMTCT program was recognized to be a good initiative by hospital officials and clients. It gained appreciation and acceptance from other stakeholders including the HIV positive community
- Continuing education for DMC staff was requested to improve information delivery and skills such as pre- and post-test counseling, data delivery
- Integration of HIV education into a broader health education package for women such as benefits of breastfeeding, STI education, maternal and child health, etc.
- Provision of laboratory supplies such as gloves used during blood extraction
- Strengthen procurement system of ARVs to ensure ready supply
- Inclusion of men and women who are already living with HIV in the PMTCT interventions
- Current discussion platforms (Local AIDS Councils, meetings) should be maximized for PMTCT interventions
The full report “Review of the Pilot Phase of Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) was published in April 2008 and is available from UNICEF at 901-0170, manila@unicef.org or contact NASPCP at naspcp@yahoo.com.
12:14 AM
Philippine HIV Initiatives Database
The Philippine HIV Initiatives Database is an Internet-based resource developed for tracking AIDS response in the Philippines. It contains information on type of interventions, activities, key players (i.e., government, non-government, international agencies, people’s organizations), and geographic distribution of responses.
It has an Interactive Flash Map and can generate maps into JPEG for presentations.
Data was gathered through desk reviews, Internet search, research from different institutions, and through survey questionnaires.
The Philippine HIV Initiatives Database was developed by Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC) in partnership with Health and Development Initiatives Institute (HDII) and with support from the Global Fund-Tropical Disease Foundation. The AIDS community hopes that through this site, development partners would be able to see the meaningful Philippine AIDS response that is being implemented and they will be able to see where AIDS support is most needed and sustained.
The site is accessible at site at http://ariusproject.com/~hivdb/. The Database is a work in progress. To ensure sustainability, accuracy and continuous updating of the site, PNAC encourages all partners to visit and help in building up the database. Promotion of the site will also be appreciated. If you wish to add your organization you may contact PNAC Secretariat - jessiefantone@yahoo.com, pnac_sec@yahoo.com, at telephone +632-7430512.
The Philippine HIV Initiatives Database is an Internet-based resource developed for tracking AIDS response in the Philippines. It contains information on type of interventions, activities, key players (i.e., government, non-government, international agencies, people’s organizations), and geographic distribution of responses.
It has an Interactive Flash Map and can generate maps into JPEG for presentations.
Data was gathered through desk reviews, Internet search, research from different institutions, and through survey questionnaires.
The Philippine HIV Initiatives Database was developed by Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC) in partnership with Health and Development Initiatives Institute (HDII) and with support from the Global Fund-Tropical Disease Foundation. The AIDS community hopes that through this site, development partners would be able to see the meaningful Philippine AIDS response that is being implemented and they will be able to see where AIDS support is most needed and sustained.
The site is accessible at site at http://ariusproject.com/~hivdb/. The Database is a work in progress. To ensure sustainability, accuracy and continuous updating of the site, PNAC encourages all partners to visit and help in building up the database. Promotion of the site will also be appreciated. If you wish to add your organization you may contact PNAC Secretariat - jessiefantone@yahoo.com, pnac_sec@yahoo.com, at telephone +632-7430512.
10:01 PM
Speech Given at United Nations High Level Meeting on HIV
June 9-11, 2008.
Dr. Jessie F. Fantone
Philippine National AIDS Council Secretariat
Good morning Madam Chairperson, fellow members of the panel, ladies and gentlemen. It is an honor to represent my country, the Philippines and my region, Southeast Asia in this High Level Meeting and share with you our experience on how we respond to gender equality and HIV, and how to operationalize a multi sectoral approach to gender equality in the context of the HIV epidemic.
In explaining why the Philippines is a confusing mix of conservatism and liberalism on sexual issues, a popular Filipino journalist said that “its what you get after spending more than 300 years in a convent, followed by 50 years of exposure to Hollywood”. I presume our colleagues from Spain and the USA would know what I mean. And so would all the other countries who were once under Spain. They would also agree that in our common Spanish-influenced cultures, the honor and respect we bestow on women is one that is instilled in us from childhood.
But it is the same conservative culture that has often contributed to women and girls vulnerability to HIV. An example would be the difficulty women and girls have in discussing sex especially with their spouses or partners due to prevailing cultural norms. Sexual health problems would rather be kept to themselves than seek help, because talking about it is considered taboo.
Madam Chairperson, we in government are aware that cultural factors cannot be changed overnight and changing them to improve gender equality will be a long term goal. It is therefore incumbent upon us in government to provide an immediate response as a short term goal to assure that women and girls are not left out when responding to the HIV and AIDS pandemic.
We have long been aware of the need for a multi-sectoral response to the epidemic since the early 90s. Our creation of a multi-sectoral council was due to the early realization that HIV was not just a health issue but one that intertwined with poverty, education, economics, governance and social factors.
I represent the government health sector in my country, but the organization that I head is made up of 16 government agencies and 9 very active civil society organizations who themselves represent other CSOs.
Our National AIDS Council is the first to admit the presence of so many gaps and challenges in addressing gender equality. This was made more apparent when we established with the help of UNAIDS our Monitoring and Evaluation team in the council. The gaps were further validated during the collection of data for the recently submitted Philippine UNGASS report.
Some of the issues that we found and need to be addressed are the following:
· Lack of a specific program for women and girls. Our programs are designed as one size fits all
· Presence of many laws protecting women but are not being implemented
· Unclear policies on adolescent reproductive health
· Exclusion of girls from government health services because they are not yet supposed to have sex
· One of our partners in the council, the Dept. of Education for whom much of our advocacy for school children is dependent on still has not implemented an institutionalized sex education program in schools. Because of this, millions of children are deprived of basic knowledge on prevention and awareness
· Access to services for women and girls are very limited unless they are members of high risk or vulnerable groups
· Focus of interventions for sex partners are usually for the male partner specially among Overseas Filipino Workers and injecting drug users
· Less access to services for women and girls due to more stigma and discrimination on their part
· Increasing number of young people engaging in premarital sex and still getting younger
· Misconceptions among the young people that they cannot become infected with HIV
Fortunately, our realization of these challenges has prompted the council and in turn the government to review and refocus our AIDS Medium Term Plan to address these gaps and challenges.
Many of the other issues are also due to a lack of resources. I am glad to report that our national HIV program budget has just been recently increased from a hundred thousand dollars to about a million dollars. This plus funding from a recently approved Global Fund grant will address the lack of resources.
Among our government partners, though recognition of HIV and AIDS has long been acknowledged as more than just a health issue, budgetary support from their organizations to implement HIV and AIDS programs has always been lacking. The reason from our Dept of Budget is that such programs are not considered a major final output of their office and should be the responsibility of the Dept. of Health. This year, after years of explanations and representations with our purse holders, they have finally agreed to let National AIDS Council members from government to include in their budgets funding for HIV and AIDS programs.
Madam Chairperson, allow me to briefly mention the existence in our country of an organization called the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women which was created in 1975. Its mission is to steer development efforts towards womens’ empowerment and gender equality. Through the years it has implemented strategic plans which ensures the fundamental equality before the law of both women and men. Its focus for the years 2001 to 2010 are: Promoting womens’ empowerment; fulfilling and protecting womens’ human rights; and promoting gender-responsive good governance. It takes pride in the many significant progress and achievements for the empowerment of women in my country. This commission has implemented a policy wherein all government departments from central to municipal earmark 5% of their annual budgets to spend on gender and development programs.
Although my country is considered a low-prevalence in terms of HIV prevalence, the classification looses its meaning when compared to other countries who face the same issues of gender equality.
Thus we acknowledge the urgency and importance that unless issues of gender and discrimination, stigma and empowerment are immediately tackled, the attainment of our targets and goals and the overall reversal of the HIV and AIDS epidemic will be difficult to achieve.
Thank you and good day.
June 9-11, 2008.
Dr. Jessie F. Fantone
Philippine National AIDS Council Secretariat
Good morning Madam Chairperson, fellow members of the panel, ladies and gentlemen. It is an honor to represent my country, the Philippines and my region, Southeast Asia in this High Level Meeting and share with you our experience on how we respond to gender equality and HIV, and how to operationalize a multi sectoral approach to gender equality in the context of the HIV epidemic.
In explaining why the Philippines is a confusing mix of conservatism and liberalism on sexual issues, a popular Filipino journalist said that “its what you get after spending more than 300 years in a convent, followed by 50 years of exposure to Hollywood”. I presume our colleagues from Spain and the USA would know what I mean. And so would all the other countries who were once under Spain. They would also agree that in our common Spanish-influenced cultures, the honor and respect we bestow on women is one that is instilled in us from childhood.
But it is the same conservative culture that has often contributed to women and girls vulnerability to HIV. An example would be the difficulty women and girls have in discussing sex especially with their spouses or partners due to prevailing cultural norms. Sexual health problems would rather be kept to themselves than seek help, because talking about it is considered taboo.
Madam Chairperson, we in government are aware that cultural factors cannot be changed overnight and changing them to improve gender equality will be a long term goal. It is therefore incumbent upon us in government to provide an immediate response as a short term goal to assure that women and girls are not left out when responding to the HIV and AIDS pandemic.
We have long been aware of the need for a multi-sectoral response to the epidemic since the early 90s. Our creation of a multi-sectoral council was due to the early realization that HIV was not just a health issue but one that intertwined with poverty, education, economics, governance and social factors.
I represent the government health sector in my country, but the organization that I head is made up of 16 government agencies and 9 very active civil society organizations who themselves represent other CSOs.
Our National AIDS Council is the first to admit the presence of so many gaps and challenges in addressing gender equality. This was made more apparent when we established with the help of UNAIDS our Monitoring and Evaluation team in the council. The gaps were further validated during the collection of data for the recently submitted Philippine UNGASS report.
Some of the issues that we found and need to be addressed are the following:
· Lack of a specific program for women and girls. Our programs are designed as one size fits all
· Presence of many laws protecting women but are not being implemented
· Unclear policies on adolescent reproductive health
· Exclusion of girls from government health services because they are not yet supposed to have sex
· One of our partners in the council, the Dept. of Education for whom much of our advocacy for school children is dependent on still has not implemented an institutionalized sex education program in schools. Because of this, millions of children are deprived of basic knowledge on prevention and awareness
· Access to services for women and girls are very limited unless they are members of high risk or vulnerable groups
· Focus of interventions for sex partners are usually for the male partner specially among Overseas Filipino Workers and injecting drug users
· Less access to services for women and girls due to more stigma and discrimination on their part
· Increasing number of young people engaging in premarital sex and still getting younger
· Misconceptions among the young people that they cannot become infected with HIV
Fortunately, our realization of these challenges has prompted the council and in turn the government to review and refocus our AIDS Medium Term Plan to address these gaps and challenges.
Many of the other issues are also due to a lack of resources. I am glad to report that our national HIV program budget has just been recently increased from a hundred thousand dollars to about a million dollars. This plus funding from a recently approved Global Fund grant will address the lack of resources.
Among our government partners, though recognition of HIV and AIDS has long been acknowledged as more than just a health issue, budgetary support from their organizations to implement HIV and AIDS programs has always been lacking. The reason from our Dept of Budget is that such programs are not considered a major final output of their office and should be the responsibility of the Dept. of Health. This year, after years of explanations and representations with our purse holders, they have finally agreed to let National AIDS Council members from government to include in their budgets funding for HIV and AIDS programs.
Madam Chairperson, allow me to briefly mention the existence in our country of an organization called the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women which was created in 1975. Its mission is to steer development efforts towards womens’ empowerment and gender equality. Through the years it has implemented strategic plans which ensures the fundamental equality before the law of both women and men. Its focus for the years 2001 to 2010 are: Promoting womens’ empowerment; fulfilling and protecting womens’ human rights; and promoting gender-responsive good governance. It takes pride in the many significant progress and achievements for the empowerment of women in my country. This commission has implemented a policy wherein all government departments from central to municipal earmark 5% of their annual budgets to spend on gender and development programs.
Although my country is considered a low-prevalence in terms of HIV prevalence, the classification looses its meaning when compared to other countries who face the same issues of gender equality.
Thus we acknowledge the urgency and importance that unless issues of gender and discrimination, stigma and empowerment are immediately tackled, the attainment of our targets and goals and the overall reversal of the HIV and AIDS epidemic will be difficult to achieve.
Thank you and good day.
7:49 PM
The AIDS 2008 – Daily Updates links to what's happening during the International AIDS Conference 2008 which will take place on August 2-8, 2008 at Mexico City. Share this link to your own blogs, egroups, etc. by clicking on the get & share tab. You may also inquire at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/aids2008. Kaiser will assist and provide instructions in creating a link on your web space.
8:49 PM
The UNGASS High Level Meeting 2008 was held in June 10-11, 2008 at UN Headquarters in New York City. In June 9, an interactive meeting of Civil Society organizations was held to provide a venue for CSOs to interact with other delegates. It also served as a venue for official delegates to listen to the CSO concerns and voice them during the closed-door meetings.
Dr. Jessie Fantone, OIC and M & E Officer of PNAC Secretariat and Mr. Eddy Razon of Pinoy Plus were the country delegates. Mr. Alex I. G. Mocorro of PAFPI was part of the Civil Society Task Force delegation who presented “Young People and HIV” during the Civil Society Meeting.
Dr. Jessie F. Fantone was part of the “Gender Equality and HIV/AIDS” panel and delivered a speech on the Philippines' response to gender equality in the context of the HIV epidemic. His speech may viewed at http://www.un.org/webcast/aidsmeeting2008/index.asp?go=202.
Mr. Mocorro's presentation and Dr. Fantone's speech will be posted soon.
Dr. Jessie Fantone, OIC and M & E Officer of PNAC Secretariat and Mr. Eddy Razon of Pinoy Plus were the country delegates. Mr. Alex I. G. Mocorro of PAFPI was part of the Civil Society Task Force delegation who presented “Young People and HIV” during the Civil Society Meeting.
Dr. Jessie F. Fantone was part of the “Gender Equality and HIV/AIDS” panel and delivered a speech on the Philippines' response to gender equality in the context of the HIV epidemic. His speech may viewed at http://www.un.org/webcast/aidsmeeting2008/index.asp?go=202.
Mr. Mocorro's presentation and Dr. Fantone's speech will be posted soon.
7:46 PM
Presented by Denny Chen
2008 High-Level Meeting on AIDS
Pre-HLM Civil Society Orientation and Regional Caucuses
9 June 2008, New York
Good morning.
This summary is based on a regional report commissioned by APCASO and supplemented by inputs from a Civil Society Meeting attended by participants from 21 countries.
There has been significant improvement on the current round of reporting, with 25 countries submitting reports. For the first time, 4 countries - Singapore, South Korea, Marshall Island and Tuvalu send their AIDS Report.
The reports show improved data collection, increased political commitment and greater willingness to acknowledge and include the views of CS partners.
Generally, the AIDS Review was initiated by Government with assistance from UNAIDS. CS in most countries were not involved with the planning of the AIDS Review eg selection of indicators to report on or setting the review time table, if there was one.
As most countries in AP are still developing their common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, governments relied more on their own data and showed reluctance to accept CS data and reports for inclusion into the Country Report. Data on indicators pertaining to most-at-risk populations are generally absent. If available, data collection did not include the population concerned.
There have been substantial improvements in the consultation process with PLHIV and other community groups. In-person consultation meetings were generally held to collect responses for NCPI Part B questionnaire and to present the draft report. In China, where I come from we used both meetings and electronic medium to collect responses to NCPI Part B and reached over 110 NGOs and CBOs.
Feedbacks provided by CS may not be included into the final report. And for PLHIV and other communities that are involved in the periodic National Progress Review, it does not necessarily reflect or equate to actual involvement in the overall HIV policy development and planning that determines future investments in HIV programmes and budgets.
The ability of CS to participate in their National Review is uneven. The reasons for this range from short notice to consultation meeting, lack of access to resources and government support, influence of dominant groups, remoteness from urban decision making centers to a perceived lack of capacity in relation to HIV policy development.
A truly inspiring story of CS engagement in the AIDS Review is Philippine. Initiating the planning process in as early as April 2007 Philippines CS then lead and supported the review process at every phase. The country report was written by civil society and submitted to their government for validation.
In conclusion, Governments need to increase their involvement with CS partners to obtain better and further information to assist in planning, developing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating HIV programmes, services and budget. Civil societies have to learn more about the review processes and make an early start themselves rather than wait for their Governments to call on them.
Thank you for your attention.
The Presenter
Denny from China is reading his master degree on constitutional and administrative law and works part-time for the Aizhixing Institute. He is a volunteer legal researcher for China’s National AIDS Joint Meeting of CBOs.
For further information please contact admin@apcaso.org
2008 High-Level Meeting on AIDS
Pre-HLM Civil Society Orientation and Regional Caucuses
9 June 2008, New York
Good morning.
This summary is based on a regional report commissioned by APCASO and supplemented by inputs from a Civil Society Meeting attended by participants from 21 countries.
There has been significant improvement on the current round of reporting, with 25 countries submitting reports. For the first time, 4 countries - Singapore, South Korea, Marshall Island and Tuvalu send their AIDS Report.
The reports show improved data collection, increased political commitment and greater willingness to acknowledge and include the views of CS partners.
Generally, the AIDS Review was initiated by Government with assistance from UNAIDS. CS in most countries were not involved with the planning of the AIDS Review eg selection of indicators to report on or setting the review time table, if there was one.
As most countries in AP are still developing their common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, governments relied more on their own data and showed reluctance to accept CS data and reports for inclusion into the Country Report. Data on indicators pertaining to most-at-risk populations are generally absent. If available, data collection did not include the population concerned.
There have been substantial improvements in the consultation process with PLHIV and other community groups. In-person consultation meetings were generally held to collect responses for NCPI Part B questionnaire and to present the draft report. In China, where I come from we used both meetings and electronic medium to collect responses to NCPI Part B and reached over 110 NGOs and CBOs.
Feedbacks provided by CS may not be included into the final report. And for PLHIV and other communities that are involved in the periodic National Progress Review, it does not necessarily reflect or equate to actual involvement in the overall HIV policy development and planning that determines future investments in HIV programmes and budgets.
The ability of CS to participate in their National Review is uneven. The reasons for this range from short notice to consultation meeting, lack of access to resources and government support, influence of dominant groups, remoteness from urban decision making centers to a perceived lack of capacity in relation to HIV policy development.
A truly inspiring story of CS engagement in the AIDS Review is Philippine. Initiating the planning process in as early as April 2007 Philippines CS then lead and supported the review process at every phase. The country report was written by civil society and submitted to their government for validation.
In conclusion, Governments need to increase their involvement with CS partners to obtain better and further information to assist in planning, developing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating HIV programmes, services and budget. Civil societies have to learn more about the review processes and make an early start themselves rather than wait for their Governments to call on them.
Thank you for your attention.
The Presenter
Denny from China is reading his master degree on constitutional and administrative law and works part-time for the Aizhixing Institute. He is a volunteer legal researcher for China’s National AIDS Joint Meeting of CBOs.
For further information please contact admin@apcaso.org
12:05 AM
2008 UNGASS
Country Progress Reports on AIDS
The Philippines, through a multisectoral effort, has successfully submitted the official country progress report to UNAIDS (see previous articles on the process and the different activities conducted in developing the report). In submitting data, the country used CRIS or the Country Response Information System software. The narrative report was also submitted. UNGASS requires the submission of country reports every two years for the monitoring of progress towards the UNGASS Declaration of Commitment adopted by member states in 2001.
The report may be accessed at
http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2008/philippines_2008_country_progress_report_en.pdf.
A printed summary of the report was also produced to highlight key findings.
Copies of the report in CD-ROM format and the printed summary of the report may be requested from PNAC:
Dr. Jessie F. Fatone
M&E Officer
PNAC Secretariat
Bldg. 15 Deparment of Health
San Lazaro Compound, Sta. Cruz
Manila, Philippines
Telephone – (02) 743-0512
Email - pnac_sec@yahoo.com
The CD-ROM contains the 2006 Progress Report and other related documents used in the development and preparation of the report.
The report may be accessed at
http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2008/philippines_2008_country_progress_report_en.pdf.
A printed summary of the report was also produced to highlight key findings.
Copies of the report in CD-ROM format and the printed summary of the report may be requested from PNAC:
Dr. Jessie F. Fatone
M&E Officer
PNAC Secretariat
Bldg. 15 Deparment of Health
San Lazaro Compound, Sta. Cruz
Manila, Philippines
Telephone – (02) 743-0512
Email - pnac_sec@yahoo.com
The CD-ROM contains the 2006 Progress Report and other related documents used in the development and preparation of the report.