1st SAARC Special Session to launch SAARC Regional Strategy on HIV/AIDS
26 April 2006

On April 26, 2006, SAARC held its first ever “Special session to launch SAARC Regional Strategy on HIV/AIDS” around the 3 rd SAARC Health Minister’s meeting. The meeting was inaugurated by the SAARC Chairperson, Her Excellency Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. In her inaugural speech, PM Zia called for formation of a broad-based partnership between the government and civil society stakeholders to combat the massive challenge of HIV/AIDS in South Asian countries. She expressed hoped that the strategy will complement actions that all SAARC countries are taking at the national level to contain the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The special session was also addressed by the following leaders: host country Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, chair of the last health ministers' meeting Pakistan Health Minister Mohammad Nasir Khan, Indian State Minister for Health Pranabaka Lakshmi and Saarc Secretary General Chenkyab Dorji. APLF sub-regional coordinator Mohammad Ali Bhuiyan was also invited to present a brief overview of the SAARC Regional Strategy on HIV/AIDS, developed by the SAARC Secretariat in partnership with the UNAIDS. Ministers, MPs, diplomats, members of international organisations and civil society and senior government officials were present at the inaugural function.

The special session was followed by a press briefing where Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Hossain called upon the member states “to take concrete actions to implement the work plan for 2006-2010 developed under the Regional Strategy on HIV/AIDS".