Introduction 

Millions of people migrate between ASEAN member countries annually, providing essential contributions to national workforces and economies. However, despite their value migrant workers are often exploited, marginalized, experience violations of their basic rights in terms of pay and working conditions and lack access to public health services. Additional factors such as newfound freedoms, disposable income, exploitation or abuse leading to high-risk behaviours, combine to make migrants vulnerable to HIV infection.

Formerly known as the United Nations Regional Task Force on Mobility and HIV Vulnerability Reduction (UNRTF), the Joint Initiative on Mobility and HIV/AIDS, or JUNIMA, brings together governments, leading non-governmental organization (NGO) networks and the United Nations family, to promote universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support for mobile and migrant populations in South East Asia and southern China.

The Joint Initiative has built upon the long term membership and support that the former UNRTF developed among all ASEAN member countries, government partners, as well as civil society organizations (CSOs). JUNIMA is strengthening its focus on the project's three main areas of work - Strategic Information, Policy & Advocacy, and Multi-stakeholder Mechanisms - with the aim of ensuring that effective interventions and successful programmes be further developed.

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