ASIA PACIFIC AIDS AMBASSADORS TO MEET IN BALI

Cikeas, Bogor, July 31 (ANTARA) - AIDS ambassadors from Asian and Pacific countries will meet in Bali on August 9, 2009 on the sidelines of the Ninth International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) to be held on the island August 9-13.

First Lady Ani Yudhoyono in her capacity as the National AIDS ambassador of Indonesia will take part in the meeting, Nafsiah Mboi, secretary of the National AIDS Commission, said here on Friday after a meeting with Mrs. Yudhoyono.

"Madame Ani Yudhoyono as the national AIDS ambassador of Indonesia will meet with AIDS ambassadors from many countries in a session discussing various programs concerning AIDS handling," Mboi said.

The programs for AID sufferers would include eradication of their stigma as AIDS virus bearers and economic empowerment to help them earn some money, she said.

Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Zubairi Djoerban, chairman of the organizing committee of the Ninth International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific, after the meeting with the first lady, said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono would officially open the congress in Bali.

The congress would be attended by around 3,000 participants representing 51 countries in Asia and 14 nations in the Pacific, he said.

The theme of the international congress would be "Empowering People, Strengthening Networks."
The Congress on AIDS aims to address, among others, issues of mobility, migration, as well as gender and people with disabilities in order to empower the people and strengthen networks to effectively respond to AIDS.

The Congress will consist of four tracts, namely on "Understanding the Epidemic and Strengthening Prevention Efforts", "Strengthening Partnership for Treatment, Care, and Support", "HIV/AIDS in Context: Understanding and Addressing Socio-Cultural, Economic and Political Determinants", and "Leadership and Broadening the Response".