Asia Pacific Media Network Against AIDS

[Guest guest]

UNDP Regional HIV and Development Programme (South and North East Asia)

Announces Media Network

Acknowledging the central role played by the media in development

initiatives, the UNDP Regional HIV and Development Programme, South and

North East Asia, (REACH Beyond Borders*) has been working in close

coordination with them during the last few years. Like elsewhere in the

world, media’s role in the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS and

promoting human development in the region has been extremely valuable.

Working with the media at various levels has been an integral part of

advocacy and policy dialogue activities of REACH. During 2001, national

level media consultations were organized in all south Asian countries.

Based on the suggestions of the participants, a Regional Editors’

Roundtable was organized in New Delhi on July 24. The roundtable, in

which UNDP Administrator, Mr. Mark Mulloch Brown and senior UNDP

officials participated, was aimed at eliciting the support of media

organizations at the highest possible level. The Roundtable featured

some of the most prominent editors of the region and resulted in a

unique Statement of Commitment.

A consistent demand from the journalists covering HIV/AIDS and the

social development sector in the region has been for a forum to network

and to share experience/expertise and information. After sufficient

consultations with our media partners and journalists working in the

field, we have decided to facilitate the formation of a network of media

professionals in the Asia Pacific region.

This network, called Asia Pacific Media Against AIDS (APMA), is aimed at

strengthening the response of the media against HIV/AIDS in the region. APMA

will operate through a state-of-the art " e-workspace, " an exclusive web-based

electronic platform for knowledge-networking. It will have utilities

like library, discussion forum, document-conferencing and scheduling and

calendaring. The network and the " e-workspace " are expected to be

operational by early August.

Though APMA is aimed primarily at media professionals from the Asia

Pacific region, journalists from other regions of the world with

interest in HIV/AIDS as a development issue are also encouraged to join.

It would encourage sharing of media best practices from round the world

and facilitate information flow at various levels, not to mention, the

much-needed south-south cooperation.

Please visit www.youandaids.org, the HIV/AIDS Portal for South and North

East Asia or click on the link www.youandaids.org/mediacentre to join

APMA.

* About REACH (Regional Empowerment and Action to Contain HIV/AIDS)

Beyond Borders

REACH Beyond Borders is the consolidated second phase of the UNDP

Regional HIV and Development programme in South and North East Asia

covering 13 countries of the region. (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan,

China, DPR Korea, India, Iran, Maldives, Mangolia, Nepal, Pakistan,

Republic of Korea and Sri Lanka). The programme supports the objective

of containing the epidemic in the region through integrated responses

that promote gender equality, poverty reduction and good governance.

REACH focuses attention on advocacy, policy dialogue and outreach using

ICT and innovative technologies; capacity development and community

participation; trans-border and regional collaboration; rights-based

approaches, law and ethics and GIPA; and multisectoral responses

relating to gender, livelihoods and HIV/AIDS.

For more Information, please contact G. Pramod Kumar, Communications and

Advocacy Officer at pramod.kumar@... or Venu Arora, Communications

Officer at venu.arora@...

_____________________________