State leaders to adopt declaration on AIDS

In their first wave of meetings today, leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are expected to adopt a declaration to affirm their commitment to prioritize, lead and strengthen programs on AIDS.

The United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS announced in a press statement that its deputy executive director, Deborah Landey, would speak before the heads of state today in a special session on regional and global AIDS epidemics.

This is the first time that the ASEAN Summit has invited an external expert to speak on the issue. Following the special session, the state leaders are expected to adopt the declaration.

"[This Declaration] will form part of the permanent history and lexicon of ASEAN," ASEAN Summit spokesperson Victoriano Lecaros said.

Six heads of state arrived in Cebu yesterday, joining the other heads of state that had arrived Thursday. Those who arrived yesterday include President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the heads of state of Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore and Thailand.

According to the official website of the UNAIDS, Asia has the second largest number of people living with HIV in the world and its share of the global epidemic is increasing. ASEAN is composed of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Recent estimates show that the region has the most severe epidemics within Asia. During the 7th ASEAN Summit held in Brunei Darussalam in 2001, the ASEAN leaders passed a resolution to convene the "Special Session on HIV and AIDS" in conjunction with the 12th ASEAN Summit "to signal ASEAN's commitment in combating AIDS and to give impetus to regional responses in taking urgent action."

"This is the first time the ASEAN Summit has invited an external expert to speak on the issue of AIDS," the statement of the UNAIDS said.

Discussions of the heads of state will continue until Monday, the last day of the summit. - Joeberth M. Ocao and Gregg M. Rubio