About UNRTF

"Many of the same inequalities that drive the spread
of HIV also drive migration.”

– International Organization for Migration (IOM)

HIV/AIDS & Mobility in South-East Asia

Rapid Assessment

GET CONNECTED

Join an HIV eForum!

UNRTF Recommends:

SEA-AIDS eForum

A project by:

Subscribe to the UNRTF Members Google Group Emailing List and Online Discussion Forum

Email:

Visit this group

About UNRTF

Introduction

Geographically, the United Nations Regional Task Force (UNRTF) on Mobility and HIV Vulnerability Reduction covers all the South East Asian Countries (i.e. Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam) and the Southern provinces of China. In its earlier phase (2002-2004), it covered the countries of the Greater Mekong Sub-region.

The Task Force is convened by the UN Resident Coordinator of Thailand (UNRC), who provides leadership and neutrality, and supports advocacy through the wide network of the UNRCs in the region. A multi-stake holder Steering Committee serves as the executive arm of the Task Force. It formulates the operational framework, provides guidance, and identifies and monitors common outputs in line with agreed priorities. The Steering Committee makes strategic and policy decisions and oversees Task Force activities. The Manager of the Secretariat manages the regular operations of the Task Force and acts on decisions of the Task Force members. The manager takes the initiative on behalf of the Task Force and in support of the Steering Committee to work with governments and agencies in the region on policy, action, guidance and advocacy and plays an essential role in mobilizing additional resources for the Task Force.

Overarching Aim

The Overarching Aim of this Regional Strategy is:

"To strengthen stakeholders’ multi-sectoral response to the heightened HIV vulnerability of migrants and mobile populations in the region."

Objectives and Targeted Outcomes

Its objectives and targeted outcomes are:

Objective 1: To continue to facilitate and advocate for the creation of an enabling and empowering environment to reduce the HIV/AIDS related vulnerability of migrants and mobile people (MMPs) in the region.

Outcome 1: Policy makers and implementers sensitized on key international instruments and regional mechanisms on mobility, gender, human rights.
Outcome 2: National HIV/AIDS Strategic Plans and Policies incorporate strategies for MMPs and their families.
Outcome 3: National legislation, regulations and decrees reviewed and revised to ensure MMP access to appropriate social and health services.

Objective 2: To enhance meaningful participation of local, cross-border, country and regional stakeholders in order to facilitate multi-sectoral and development focused approaches to mobility and HIV/AIDS.

Outcome 1: National and regional fora are in place to catalyze partnerships for a coordinated response.
Outcome 2: Civil society, including MMPs and PLWHA groups, actively engage in and link with national/regional programs and bodies addressing HIV/AIDS and mobility issues.
Outcome 3: Strategies developed and implemented to ensure adequate human and technical resources for multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder responses.

Objective 3: To establish a framework to promote effective prevention, treatment, care and support for reducing the prevalence and impact of HIV/AIDS among MMPs and their families at the regional, country and local levels.

Outcome 1: Systems and processes established to review and assess the dynamics of HIV/AIDS and mobility at regional and national levels.
Outcome 2: Mechanisms facilitated to connect trans-border, source, transit and destination sites to improve access to MMP-friendly services.
Outcome 3: Paradigms, resources and programs shifted to recognize, address and include PLWHA and MMPs.

These objectives and outcomes represent an extension of the three major themes found in the previous strategy, but with greater emphasis on the principles of partnership, empowerment and responsibility. The new strategy also takes account of lessons learned over the past three years to put more focus on: interventions with a proven track record of success (such as the 100% condom use program and peer education programs), resource mobilization, an enhanced enabling environment for MMPs, the greater involvement of MMPs and PLWHA in all aspects of the strategy, increased coordination and collaboration between different stakeholders and at regional - national level , stronger advocacy and communications, more attention to influencing national strategic HIV/AIDS plans, capacity building, and more extensive civil society partnerships.

The Creation of UNRTF

Recognizing the significance of the mobility-HIV link, the United Nations established a Regional Task Force on Mobility and HIV Vulnerability Reduction (UNRTF) in 1997 to cover South-East Asia. This Task Force focused initially on the six countries of the Greater Mekong Sub-Region (GMS), including the southern provinces of China, but has since expanded to cover all the remaining South-East Asian countries. One of its major accomplishments was the development of a Strategy on Mobility and HIV Vulnerability Reduction in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region for the period 2002-2004. Another was its success in preparing a GMS-wide Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Joint Action to Reduce HIV Vulnerability Related to Population Movement. This MOU was signed by the six GMS countries in 2001 and was renewed by the same governments in 2005. In addition, bilateral MOUs for the Employment of Workers have been signed by the Government of Thailand with the Governments of Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar.

The Regional Task Force (UNRTF) was evaluated at the end of its second phase (2002-2004). Following the evaluation outcomes it was reconstituted in 2005 with the following mandate:

The task force identifies priorities and gaps and facilitates programmatic, policy and advocacy actions to reduce mobility-related HIV vulnerability and addresses issues of care and support.

During the first meeting of the new phase in June, 2005 in Siem Reap, Cambodia, the reconstituted UNRTF reviewed the 2002-2004 Regional Strategy, took note of lessons learned and made recommendations for the strategy’s revision to cover the period 2006-2008.