Asia Catalyst » Monthly Media Roundup

[NEWS] UNAIDS Chief Spotlights Civil Society in China

Posted on November 24, 2009 by Meg

UNAIDS Executive Secretary Michel Sidibe’s trip to China got off to a strong start today with a round of meetings with Chinese NGOs. He began with

an awards ceremony given by International Treatment Preparedness Coalition in Shanghai. Over lunch, he heard from representatives of NGOs, including sex workers and drug users, about the challenges they face doing their work, and the need for more government cooperation with civil society.

In an open letter in August, Asia Catalyst and over 30 international AIDS and human rights organizations called on UNAIDS to speak out against restrictions on civil society. NGOs in China are growing despite burdensome restrictions on registration, censorship, and on individual AIDS activists.

[NEWS] China: Suspend Disastrous Burma Pipeline

Posted on October 28, 2009 by Meg

Asia Catalyst was proud to sign onto this letter, organized by Burmese NGOs, calling on China to suspend its plans to build oil and gas pipelines in ethnic regions of Burma. Already, the pipeline has caused dislocation, abuses and instability in the region. The press release follows, and more information is available at www.shwe.org.

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[REPORT] South Korean NGOs Respond to the North Korean Refugee Crisis

Posted on October 17, 2009 by Meg

By Hye Gi Shim

When a devastating famine hit North Korea in the mid-1990s, hundreds of
thousands of North Koreans were forced to leave their homes and cross the
border into China.
This marked the beginning of a swelling North Korean refugee crisis. Today the Ministry of Unification estimates
that the total number of North Koreans in South Korea is reaching 17,000. As
the problem has grown, the response of South Korean civil society has also
evolved.

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[NEWS] International AIDS Groups Urge UN to Speak Out Against State Harassment of AIDS Activists

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Meg

UNAIDS must speak out against government restrictions on AIDS NGOs in Asia, Asia Catalyst said today at the International Conference on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP). Physicians for Human Rights and over 30 international AIDS groups joined in calling on UNAIDS to take a stronger stand on the rights of front line AIDS organizations.