At its first opportunity following the United Nations General Assembly special session on HIV/AIDS, the Commission, at its fifty-eighth session in April 2002, adopted as its theme topic for the fifty-ninth session “Integrating economic and social concerns, especially HIV/AIDS, in meeting the needs of the region”.
In the two decades since HIV/AIDS was first discovered, it has gone from being an enigmatic, uncommon disease to a less mysterious, rampant pandemic. No region has been spared its impact. Few are unaware of its presence.
The spectre of HIV/AIDS is already here, casting a dark shadow over the Asian and Pacific region. The epidemic is a clear and present danger. It threatens to unravel achievements gained. It also threatens to stall future progress.
Given the many ways in which HIV/AIDS proliferates and affects our societies, the solutions too need a multi-pronged approach. The region’s experience in marrying social and economic policies is vital to tackling the pandemic in all its dimensions.
