A Decade of the Thai Red Cross AIDS Research Centre

sc Asian Red Cross and Red Crescent
AIDS lask force (ART)

fast-West Center

Prior to 1994, no systematic and
long-term structure to facilitate
collaboration and the exchange of
experiences in dealing with HIV/AIDS
related problems existed in Asia. The
International Federation of Red Cross
and Red Crescent Societies Regional
Health Delegation addressed this issue.
It sought to demonstrate that it is feasible
and effective to establish a regional
working group in order to prevent the
spread of HIV, care for those affected by
HIV infection, and promote respect for
human rights and combat discrimination
against people affected by HIV/AIDS.
Consequently, 10 national Red Cross
and Red Crescent Societies formally
agreed to form the Asian Red Cross and
Red Crescent AIDS Take Force (ART).
Since its founding, ART has been
implementing a youth peer education
program for sexual health and HIV
prevention which has targeted young
people from a variety of socioeconomic
contexts. The ART is promoting and
supporting members to develop crossborder activities on HIV/AIDS by utilising
the strength of the network. It has
organised several capacity building
workshops with support from IFRC to
help its members to tackle HIV/AIDS
epidemic The success of the ART project
has seen the network expand from 10
member countries at its establishment
to 13 member countries at present. It
has become a model among Red Cross
and Red Crescent societies, especially
in South Asia region where there is an
effort to establish SART (South ART).
Current ART membership
includes Thailand, Myanmar, India,
Nepal, Indonesia, China, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia,
Korea, and Mongolia.
ART Secretariat
ART Secretariat During the
development phase, the Federation
Regional Delegation carried on the task
of the ART Secretariat's function, which
later was turned over to ART member

countries. Philippines National Red
Cross (PNRC) hosted the first ART
Secretariat (January 1998 - December
2000)
Thai Red Cross Society is one
of the founding members of ART and is
now hosting the ART Secretariat handed
over from Philippine National Red Cross,
the host of the first ART Secretariat (1998 -2000). The term of TRCS will last till
December 2003.
The ART Secretariat by TRCS
organised the 13th ART Meeting and
Workshop for all ART members in March
2001. The other functions of the ART
Secretariat are to disseminate the
information on HIV/AIDS and STD to the
members via email, publish the
Newsletter, provide assistance to the ART
members in advocating for support from
other organisations both within and
outside RC movement as needed and
requested, coordinate the sharing of
expertise among the members, etc.

T he East-West Center is a
collaboration between the Thai
Red Cross Society, on behalf of
its UNAIDS Collaborating Centre, AIDS
Research Centre and the East-West
Centre ("EWC"), on behalf of its UNAIDS
Collaborating Centre, located at 1601
East-West Road, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
The goal of this collaboration is to
conduct activities in areas of mutual
interest, including:
-Improving estimation and
modelling of the HIV/AIDS
epidemic, its impact, and the
associated medical and
societal costs in the Asia-Pacific
region
- Use of behavioural research in
formulation, implementation,
implementation and assessment
of prevention programs in Asia
and the Pacific; and
- Improving policy and program
responses to HIV/AIDS prevention
and care in the Asia-Pacific region
This collaboration brings
together the practical prevention program
and clinical research expertise of the
Thai Red Cross AIDS Research Centre
with the analytical, technical, and policy
analysis capacities of the Research
Program of EWC. These complementary
skills, combined with the extensive
experience of both institutions in HIV/
AIDS research, training, and program
implementation, provide a strong
foundation for undertaking new activities
to benefit the countries of Asia and the
Pacific. This collaboration will be in
operation in the year of 2002.
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THE THAI RED CROSS AIDS RESEARCH CENTRE 2002 17