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Bangladeshi PM Calls for Collective Efforts to Combat HIV/AIDS

Posted on: Friday, 27 January 2006, 09:00 CST

Bangladeshi PM calls for collective efforts to combat HIV/AIDS

DHAKA, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia here on Thursday urged all to come up with collective efforts to combat HIV/AIDS.

Inaugurating the Second Sub-regional Parliamentary Seminar on HIV/ AIDS, Khaleda said some important steps at regional level have been taken to fight HIV/AIDS.

At the 13th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation ( SAARC) Summit in Dhaka, South Asian leaders have welcomed the preparation of a collective SAARC strategy to prevent the spread of the disease in the region, she said.

The leaders also ratified the SAARC convention on trafficking of women and children which, while protecting women and children, will help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Khaleda said a number of countries in Asia have seen either nation-wide epidemic or serious and localized epidemic.

The Prime Minister said it is feared that AIDS epicenter is gradually shifting from Africa to Asia and experiences also indicate that HIV/AIDS has no racial, class or religious bias. "No country can claim immunity from HIV epidemic," she said.

Bangladesh has so far been a low-prevalent country with regard to HIV/AIDS, Khaleda said.

"We, however, must be constantly vigilant. Our religious and cultural values are no doubt a great deterrent against the spread of this disease. But our very geographical location makes us vulnerable. Also certain groups in our country show a high-risk behavior," she said.

The two-day seminar was sponsored by some international organization like United Nations Development Program, World Health Organization and the government of Norway.

Source: Xinhua News Agency - CEIS

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