Central Asian AIDS Control Project (CAAP) conducted two training seminars on training of trainers (ToT) among Muslim leaders on HIV and AIDS. The first training seminar was held for the Muslim leaders of the southern regions of Kyrgyzstan in Osh on August 10-12. It gathered kazy areas, the chief imams of mosques Batkent, Jalal-Abad, Osh oblast and Osh city. The second seminar was held in the village Kashka-Suu, Chui oblast, for the Muslim clerics of northern regions of the country: Chui, Talas, Naryn and Issyk-Kul oblast and Bishkek on August 15-17. The seminar was also attended by representatives of the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Kyrgyzstan (SAMK), Muslim schools (madrassas, Islamic University). As a result 19 people were trained.>>>

Central Asia AIDS Control Project (CAAP) has initiated a national training seminar for trainers (ToT) on HIV - infection prevention among labor migrants and their families. The seminar, which gathered representatives of 22 non-governmental AIDS-service organizations from all regions of the country, was held in Dushanbe on August 10-14 2009. During the training, participants discussed the issue of HIV and AIDS in Tajikistan, the relationship between migration and vulnerability of population to HIV infection, the legal aspects of migration, issues of stigma and discrimination from the perspective of human rights. >>>

Initial Harm Reduction (HR) Programs in Central Asian countries started getting implemented in the late 90th of the last century and presently they form important elements of national strategies on HIV prevention among injection drug users (IDUs). In Uzbekistan such programs are being mainly implemented by state-run trust points; in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan by non-government organizations; in Kazakhstan a successful combination of HR services by governmental and non-government organizations was found. Meanwhile, each country has achievements which could be the examples of best practices and a base for experience exchange. However, availability of successful national practices does not solve many problems of regional nature which could be solved only through regional interaction, expansion of information on the best practices and creation of possibilities for continuous improvement of human resources (profession-based) capacity of HR Programs including through training and experience and information exchange. In this regard, the Central Asian Harm Reduction Training & Information Center (or CAHRC) under the Central Asia AIDS Control Project’s support is planning to conduct the Regional training on harm reduction programs for NGO representatives from Central Asian countries in Bishkek (July 30 – August1) >>>

Discussion of the existing problems in training teenagers of Kyrgyzstan to safe behavior skills and, mainly, obtaining of practical training skills by teachers is the goal of the national workshop on “HIV infection prevention among the youth” to be held in “Issyk-Kul-Aurora” Sanatorium on June 22. The workshop is conducted by Central Asian AIDS Control Project jointly with the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic. The representatives of the Kyrgyz Republic education system are the participants of the workshop. >>>

“HIV-infection prevention among the youth” is a name of the new training manual developed by Central Asian AIDS Control Project. By Svetlana Vasilyeva’s words, Consultant of Regional Training Center for HIV-infection Prevention among the youth informed, this publication intends to train trainers working with specialists of the education system and volunteers. >>>

Ministries of Health of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan with financial support and technical assistance of the Central Asian AIDS Control Project and the Centers for Diseases Control (CDC) are conducting national conferences on “Injection safety in health care organizations and implementation of injection assessment tool at the national level”. The conferences will be conducted in Tajikistan on June 15-16 and in Uzbekistan on June 18-19, 2009. >>>

The regional workshop on adherence to ARV therapy for NGO representatives will start in Bishkek on May 25, 2009. This event is conducted by Central Asian AIDS Control Project jointly with Central Asian Network of people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA). The problem on adherence to ARV therapy is a key one in implementing the programs on prevention, treatment and care for PLWHA in the countries of the region. Year by year number of revealed new HIV infection cases is increasing. In total 31750 HIV-infected people have been registered in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan by January 1, 2009 , but the estimated number of HIV infected people is up to 42400 people. >>>

Regional Training and Information Center for Harm Reduction has been established in Central Asia for the first time. It has been legally registered recently in Bishkek, the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic. The founders of this non-commercial association are the government and non-government AIDS-service organizations of the countries of the region: “Partnership Network” Harm Reduction Association (Kyrgyzstan); Republican Narcology Center (Kyrgyzstan); “Adilet Law Clinic” Public Foundation (Kyrgyzstan); Association of Organizations operating in the field of HIV/AIDS, drug addiction in Kazakhstan; “Intilish” NGO (Uzbekistan); Harm Reduction Association (Tajikistan) and Eurasian Harm Reduction Network (Lithuania). >>>

On April 27-28, National conference devoted to «The HIV epidemic situation in the Republic of Kazakhstan by the results of sentinel surveillance for 2008» was conducted in Almaty with technical assistance of Central Asian AIDS Control Project. General director and experts of the Republican Center on AIDS prevention and response; head physicians managing epidemiological departments and laboratories of oblast (14) and city (6) centers on HIV prevention; and representatives of the international organizations such as UNAIDS, UNDP, the Project Capacity, PSI, CDC/CAR and CDC/Atlanta, AIDS-Fund "East-West", UNESCO, UNICEF took part in the conference. >>>

On March 30, round table on Regional HIV – infection counteraction strategy draft discussion will take place in Almaty, Kazakhstan. It is conducted by the Secretariat of EurAsEC Integration Committee under the technical assistance of Central Asian AIDS Control Project (CAAP). The aim of this round table is the discussion of comments to the Regional strategy draft which was prepared by the EurAsEC working group. Representatives of Healthcare Ministries, Republican AIDS Centers, non-governmental AIDS-service organizations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as well the representatives of International organizations and projects are invited to take part in the meeting. >>>