A Great Multisectoral Response to HIV/AIDS in Cambodia

By Soy Sophea

Nearly one thousand HIV/AIDS activists, policy makers, have gathered at the 3rd national conference on “A greater Multisectoral Response to HIV/AIDS: Towards Universal Access to in Cambodia,” aiming to celebrate and to see the progress of their HIV/AIDS responses.

The conference was to reaffirm our goals and to continue to dedicate ourselves to meet, to learn, to share and to agree on what to do next in order to further reduce the thousand of men, women and children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. The three-day national conference started from 10th-12th September 2008 at Chaktomuk National Conference Theater. The conference co-organized by the National AIDS Authority and Khmer HIV/AIDS NGO Alliance (KHANA).

Teng Kunthy, secretary general of National AIDS Authority, said that the theme of the 3rd National AIDS Conference was titled “Great Multisectoral response to HIV/AIDS: Toward Universal Access in Cambodia,” because the organizers felt that this theme represents the collective national committee to further address and overcome the challenges we face with HIV and AIDS.

Sok An, deputy prime minister and minister of Council of Ministers, said that the national conference was so crucial and to remind policy makers and the government to take action to help HIV/AIDS victims and especially to reduce number of prevalence of HIV/AIDS affection.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the effort of the Cambodian government was to reduce HIV/AIDS and to enhance well-respected HIV/AIDS victims throughout the country.

Erin Soto, mission director of USAID to Cambodia, said that as countries struggles to turn the tide against HIV/AIDS, Cambodia deserves praise for achieving success.

She said that the Royal Government of Cambodia, working closely with the donor community, civil society and NGOs, implemented the 100 percent Condom Use Program, which is saving lives.

The Mission Director said 29,000 Cambodian people who living with HIV/AIDS are now taking ARV.

“I confidence that Cambodian government will continue to show leadership on this issue,” she said. “The next step is for the government to ensure the sustainability of its HIV/AIDS programs through increased budget allocation.”

Tony Lisle, UNAIDS country coordinator to Cambodia, said that Cambodia has achieved its Millennium Development Goal for AIDS, adding that adult prevalence has declined from a high of 2 percent in 1998 to 0.9 percent in 2006.

He said, “This is no small achievement; a result of a combination of many factors, not the least, exemplary leadership, compassion and a national response that has courageously “done the right thing, the right way.”

Tony said that in the long run the best way to stop people dying from AIDS is to reduce new infection in the first place.

“If we’re going to sustain and build on the gains we’ve made- if we’re to get anywhere near Universal Access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, Cambodia will need to continue to incremental increase in vestments in AIDS,” Tony said. “Let’s not forget that AIDS need to be addressed both as an immediate crisis and also as long-term (30-40) event, that why Cambodia’s response must continue to be passionate and above all, smart.”

According to National Strategic Plan for Illicit Drug Use Related HIV/AIDS 2008-2010 stated that currently, there no government operated needle/ syringe program and only 2 NGO services offering needle/ syringe programming in Cambodia, under authorization of the Secretary-General of the National Authority for Combating Drug (NACD). Both are location in Phnom Penh, and have limited staff and financial capacity. They currently reach a small percentage of the estimated Injecting Drug Users (IDU) population (approximately 20 percent) of IDU are reached.

The report added that outreach and education to drug users is limited: it is available only in 10 provinces and most of this outreach targets street children or sex worker. “Services which target DU and IDU for harm reduction, outreach and HIV prevention education are limited.”

Suos Sina, representative of sex workers, expressed the sex workers concerns over the hardship of daily life when the police recently cracked down sex workers and arrested them. She said that such measure would be negative affect to 100 percent Condom Use Program.

She called on the sponsorship of relevant institutions to keep continue help those HIV/AIDS victims especially to fight against job and social discriminations.