Authors: Lorna Guinness and Lilani Kumaranayake

Foreword

Although HIV/AIDS came to Asia later than in Africa, by now Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand HIV prevalence all surpassed 1%. In view of the rapidly growing HIV/AIDS epidemics throughout South East Asia, currently available national resources and service systems cannot keep pace with the increasing demand, both in terms of the overall epidemics as well as the projected increasing volume of population movement within and between countries in this region.
Previous efforts in the region focused on the socio-economic impact of HIV in general, but did not include the mobility aspect. The first step in political recognition of mobility related HIV vulnerability has been achieved by the end of 2001 through two major events:
 

1. The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by the GMS countries and China with the commitment for joint actions to reduce

    mobility related HIV vulnerability.
2. The ASEAN Heads of States Declaration on HIV/AIDS, which acknowledged the necessity for regional collaboration in dealing with

    mobility related HIV vulnerability.
 

This paper presents a methodology to estimate the costs and potential benefits of responding to the mobility aspects of the HIV epidemic in South East Asia. One of the steps in strengthening the countries' capabilities for appropriate policy and programmatic decisions in resource allocation for HIV/AIDS programmes to reduce mobility related HIV vulnerability, it is important to have costing information on responses, or lack thereof, to mobility related factors in HIV prevention & mitigation of the impact of AIDS.

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April 2002