HIV/AIDS and Communicable Diseases in Asia
It is becoming clear that the HIV/AIDS epidemic may pose the gravest human security challenge to Asia for the foreseeable future. There is a growing realization that the region is likely to see a dramatic acceleration of the epidemic, and current trends indicate that, by 2010, Asia will surpass Africa as the region with the greatest number of HIV infections. The spread of HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases has dramatic implications for economic development, human resource development, political cohesiveness, and, ultimately, for the security of nation-states. It clear that the fight against HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases cannot be seen only as a health issue, but must be understood within various sociopolitical and economic contexts. Likewise, the epidemic can only be effectively dealt with through coordinated policy responses and the participation of diverse actors from multiple sectors of society, both on the domestic and international levels.
In order to raise awareness of the regional threat posed by the HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases and promote discussion of effective approaches to these human security challenges, JCIE has been undertaking a variety of initiatives.
Recent Projects
Friends of the Global Fund, Japan
JCIE serves as the secretariat for this private group, which encourages the support and participation of diverse sectors in Japan, both nongovernmental and governmental in advancing the work of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and in tackling the common challenges of HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases.
JCIE/Asia Society Joint Conference:"The Human Security Challenges of HIV/AIDS and Communicable Diseases in Asia—Exploring Effective Regional and Global Responses"
March 22, 2004; Tokyo, Japan; co-sponsored with the Asia Society
At this major international conference, over 100 experts from diverse fields, including former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and Global Fund Chair Tommy Thompson (U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services), addressed the need for increased regional and global collaboration in the fight against the AIDS epidemic and other public health challenges to human security.
"Japan's Response to the Spread of HIV/AIDS"—Survey Report, March 2004
One of the first efforts to portray in English how various actors in Japan have been addressing the domestic and global spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This report was commissioned by the Open Society Institute (OSI).
Download report in pdf format [498k].
Related Activities
Levi Strauss Foundation Advised Fund of JCIE
Since 1997, JCIE has been managing Levi Strauss's donor advised fund, which makes grants to Japanese organizations in three priority areas, including "Preventing the Spread of HIV/AIDS." One of the only sources of grant support for Japanese nonprofits working on HIV/AIDS, it disbursed over 31 million yen, or nearly US$300,000, to 34 organizations in its initial six years.