It is increasingly clear that East Asia has become an important new front in the global fight against AIDS. In order to lay the groundwork for regional cooperation, the FGFJ brought together experts from around the region in a yearlong study to examine how governments, civil society, corporations, and the media are responding to the spread of HIV/AIDS. This not only sought to advance general understanding of the challenges of communicable diseases but also to develop a regional network of leaders from diverse sectors who actively seek common solutions. A seminar was held in Tokyo on June 29, 2005, for the project researchers to exchange views and their research was published in April 2006 as Fighting a Rising Tide: The Response to AIDS in East Asia.
The papers compiled in Fighting a Rising Tide portray a surprising diversity of experiences throughout the region. Countries such as Australia had early and highly concentrated epidemics while others, such as China, are just now experiencing rapidly growing epidemics. There are also places in the region—particularly Thailand and Cambodia—where the epidemics are maturing and where prevalence is still high but slowly declining, offering valuable lessons for containing the spread elsewhere. Finally, there are some especially frightening cases in which prevalence rates are still low but growing exponentially in certain populations, particularly among injecting drug users.
While East Asia is at high risk for a major disaster as the epidemic spreads, there is still a window of opportunity for concerted joint action. The authors propose a number of concrete steps that might be taken in order to increase regional cooperation, and these are outlined in the volume’s overview. These include: 1) more concerted efforts to raise regional awareness; 2) stronger political leadership; 3) enhanced cross-sectoral cooperation; 4) efforts to more clearly define the respective roles of government and NGOs; 5) sound national policies that replicate successful responses elsewhere; 6) joint regional initiatives to deal with the trafficking of people and illicit drugs; 7) greater emphasis on the role of women in responding to the disease; and 8) the reduction of stigma against people living with HIV/AIDS and better engagement of them in measures to fight the disease.
Chinese Version
Download full text of the Chinese version of Fighting a Rising Tide. [PDF 2.5 MB]
English Version
1. Ordering Information
Copyright © 2006 Japan Center for International Exchange
ISBN: ISBN 4-88907-077-X
294 pages; paper; Price: US$25.00
-In Asia, Europe, and North America, please order from The Brookings Institution (Fax: 202-797-6004; E-mail: [email protected]).
-In Japan, please order from Kinokuniya Company Ltd. (Fax: 03-3439-0839; E-mail: [email protected]) or Far Eastern Booksellers (Fax: 03-3265-4656; E-mail: [email protected]).
2. Chapters Online
OVERVIEW [pdf 100KB]
Tadashi Yamamoto, Director, Friends of the Global Fund Japan; President, Japan Center for International Exchange
AUSTRALIA [pdf 260KB]
William Bowtell, Senior Research Associate, Lowy Institute for International Policy
CAMBODIA [pdf 476KB]
Sisowath Doung Chanto, Assistant Dean and Lecturer, Faculty of Social Sciences and International Relations, Pannasastra University
CHINA [pdf 144KB]
Wu Zunyou, Director, National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Sheena Sullivan, health researcher, National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention
INDONESIA [pdf 508KB]
Nafsiah Mboi, Senior Advisor, Indonesian National AIDS Commission
Karen Houston Smith, Deputy Director, Family Health International Indonesia
JAPAN [pdf 692KB]
Satoko Itoh, Chief Program Officer, Japan Center for International Exchange
REPUBLIC OF KOREA [pdf 100KB]
Shin Surin, Chief of the AIDS Program, Korean Alliance to Defeat AIDS
LAO PDR [pdf 308KB]
Chanthone Khamsibounheuang, Deputy Director, Center for HIV/AIDS and STI; National Project Director, Lao PDR HIV/AIDS Trust Project
MALAYSIA [pdf 76KB]
Rozaidah Talib, Member, Parliament of Malaysia
PHILIPPINES [pdf 216KB]
Eugenio M. Caccam, Jr. , independent consultant; former Associate Director, Philippine Business for Social Progress(PBSP)
TAIWAN [pdf 404KB]
Steve Hsu-Sung Kuo, Director, Taiwan Center for Disease Control
Tsai Su-Fen, Former Director, AIDS and STDs Division, Taiwan Center for Disease Control Huang
Huang Yen-Fang, Deputy Director, First Branch Office, Taiwan Center for Disease Control
THAILAND [pdf 144KB]
Wiput Phoolcharoen, freelance researcher; Former Director, Health System Research Institute
VIETNAM [pdf 384KB]
Pham Sanh Chau, Deputy Director General, Institution for International Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
