A number of Asian and the Pacific countries have very low rates of HIV infection – less than 0.1 per cent – and can still prevent serious epidemics, at relatively low cost. Representatives from 11 low-prevalence countries will meet at the Chinggis Khaan Hotel in Ulaanbaatar to discuss how. 

In this first meeting of its kind, experts from governments, civil society and international organizations will share experiences – on actions taken to reduce risky behavior, for example. They will identify obstacles and opportunities, and strategies for scaling up national responses to AIDS.  

The aim is to help countries develop their own “roadmaps” towards achieving universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support services by 2010, as called for by the UN’s 2006 High-Level Meeting on AIDS in June. 

Participating countries include Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Fiji, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. 

“These countries have a unique opportunity to keep HIV at bay, if they act now,” said J.V.R. Prasada Rao, Director of the UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Asia and the Pacific. “But they cannot be complacent. Small socio-economic changes, like a shift in migration or greater availability of injectable drugs, could trigger larger epidemics.” 

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