UNAIDS Asia-Pacific

Archives

BANGKOK, 15 April 2023—UNAIDS applauds today’s decision by Cook Islands lawmakers to remove laws prohibiting consensual sexual acts between men from the Crimes Act. By decriminalising sex between same-sex partners, the Pacific nation joins a global movement toward affirming the human rights to non-discrimination and privacy. 

Asia is facing an unprecedented HIV epidemic among gay men and community health advocates are looking for innovative solutions on how to stop the virus from spreading. Chris Lagman is one of the founding members of LoveYourself, which is a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community organization based in the Philippines. He is also the co-primary investigator of the PrEP Pilipinas project, which will officially introduce PrEP in the Philippines by 2017.

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has appointed the popular singer and television personality Chalatit Tantiwut as UNAIDS National Goodwill Ambassador for Thailand. Mr Chalatit is an icon for the gay community and will help raise awareness and promote greater use of HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services particularly among men who have sex with men (MSM).

Meet Pema Doji, a tour guide and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) activist from Bhutan, which is perched on the Eastern edge of the Himalayan mountains. Pema describes himself as an introvert who’s idea of a perfect day is staying home, sipping a cup of tea and reading a really good book. He says he is socially awkward because of the bullying and discrimination that he experienced while growing up…. Read More

BANGKOK, 23 September 2015— An innovative HIV prevention tool, which has shown to be effective at reducing the transmission of HIV in gay men and others at higher risk is to be introduced in parts of Asia. While, oral pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP is starting to transform HIV prevention in the United States, it has yet to be integrated into programmes in Asia. Representatives from national AIDS programmes, health service providers and… Read More

It’s 9pm and the night is just getting going in one popular entertainment establishment in Phnom Penh city. The place which preferred not be identified provides a mix of services in its multi-story building: diners enjoy a restaurant on the ground floor, the rooms in the middle level vibrate with popular songs and on the top floor is the hotel. However in one corner next to several other karaoke rooms, a serious… Read More

Singapore court upholds discriminatory law criminalizing same-sex sexual practices

Singapore’s Court of Appeal recently upheld the law criminalizing sex between men, a ruling the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community in Asia sees as part of a growing conservative trend in the region. For example, in 2013 the Supreme Court of India overturned the 2009 decision of the Delhi High Court to strike down a 150-year-old law criminalizing same-sex sexual conduct. In Singapore, men who commit acts of “gross… Read More

A national consultation was held on Advancing HIV-Sensitive Social Protection on 2 October in Phnom Penh. The meeting was organized by UNDP and UNAIDS in partnership with the Cambodian People Living with HIV network (CPN+).  Seventy representatives from the Cambodian government, civil society, community groups – including entertainment workers, men who have sex with men, transgender people, people who inject drugs – participated in the consultation.