HIV Transmission in Intimate Partner Relationships in Asia

A regional discussion on HIV transmission in intimate partner relationships was initiated by UNAIDS through a regional meeting on Women and HIV in Cambodia in July 2006. Subsequently, UNAIDS convened a satellite session at the 8th International Conference on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific at Colombo in August 2007, and some countries started to work on desk reviews. Following the recommendations of the Commission on AIDS in Asia (2008), the ASEAN Foundation, UNAIDS, UNIFEM and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) together initiated the development of the evidence base on HIV transmission in intimate partner relationships in Asia through collaboration between researchers, regional networks of people living with HIV (the International Commission on Women and the Asia Pacific Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS) and the United Nations (UN).

In July 2008 a regional coordination committee consisting of UN (United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UNDP, UNIFEM, UNAIDS), networks of people living with HIV and the ASEAN Foundation was formed to oversee the process. UNAIDS, UNIFEM and UNDP provided technical and budget assistance to countries to carry out desk reviews and focus group discussions. A technical meeting in November 2008 that included the Coalition of Asia Pacific Regional Networks on HIV/AIDS (the Seven Sisters) provided space to review data trends and gaps from the country studies, refine the methodologies and develop a regional network for information exchange.