South and East Asia

UNAIDS estimates that there were 4.1 million adults and children living with HIV and AIDS in South and South East Asia in 2009, with a further 770 thousand in East Asia (UNAIDS report on the global AIDS epidemic, 2010).

The epidemic is concentrated among key populations who are at higher risk of HIV. In Asia and the Pacific these key populations are generally injecting drug users, sex workers and men who have sex with men. In China, for example, 90% of HIV transmission is among people who inject drugs and men who have sex with men.

Access to treatment has improved in this region but widespread HIV-related stigma and discrimination continue to undermine responses. In some countries, authorities are unsupportive of civil society action, favouring top-down, biomedical responses.

What we do

Our largest programmes in the region are in Cambodia and India. We also have partnerships with organisations in China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia.

We are working to strengthen the links between communities and clinical services, including sexual and reproductive health and prevention and care for tuberculosis and Hepatitis C.

Community Action on Harm Reduction (CAHR) is an ambitious project funded by the government of the Netherlands that aims to expand harm reduction services to more than 180,000 injecting drug users, their partners and children in China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia (and Kenya).

Community Action for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Asia (The Action Project) aims to improve the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of young people (aged 15-24) in South Asia.

Our Regional Technical Support Hubs in India and Cambodia provide expert assistance to non-governmental and community-based organisations throughout the region.