The Cambodian government is attempting to coerce local NGOs to test an unproven medication on drug users, according to materials obtained by Asia Catalyst. Authorities have threatened to shut down NGOs that refuse to administer the drug, and arrest drug users who refuse to take the test.
[REPORT] Restrictions on AIDS NGOs in Asia (2009)
Despite pledges by world leaders and the UN to support civil society, AIDS nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) face heavy restrictions in Cambodia, China, Myanmar and Vietnam, Asia Catalyst said in a report released for World AIDS Day. “Heads of state have learned to pay lip service to the role of NGOs in order to gain international support, but the reality on the ground can be quite different,” said Sara Davis, executive director of Asia Catalyst. “Restricting civil society has slowed Asia’s response to the AIDS crisis.”
[REPORT] Restrictions on AIDS NGOs in Asia (2009)
Despite pledges by world leaders and the UN to support
civil society, AIDS nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) face heavy
restrictions in Cambodia, China, Myanmar and Vietnam, Asia Catalyst
said in a report released for World AIDS Day. English press release (pdf) Download the report in English (pdf)
[NEWS] UNAIDS Chief Spotlights Civil Society in China
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.
[REPORT] South Korean NGOs Respond to the North Korean Refugee Crisis
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.
