UN refugee agency launches HIV/AIDS awareness project in Nepal

17 October 2007 - The United Nations refugee agency has launched a new project to boost HIV and AIDS services among the conflict-affected populations in Nepal.

The initiative was born from a review which found a pressing need for better coverage of HIV prevention activities in at-risk populations, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said.

"This new programme is a result of a joint UN assessment undertaken in November 2006 in Banke, Ilam and Kathmandu, and I am confident that together with these NGO partners, we can better respond with respect to the protection and prevention of HIV/AIDS," said Mr. Abraham Abraham, UNHCR Representative in Nepal.

The agency's non-governmental organization partners are the General Welfare Pratisthan, Knight Chess Club, and Maiti Nepal in the project, which is supported by the Department for International Development, channelled through the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness activities have always been an integral part of UNHCR's programme in the refugee camps in Jhapa and Morang districts in eastern Nepal, the agency said.

Source: UN News Centre