The 7 Sisters: The Making of a Coalition of Asia Pacific Regional Networks on HIV/AIDS

Asia Pacific Council of AIDS Service Organisations

At a presentation by leaders of the 7 Sisters' constituent associations, it was pointed out that the first fruits of the formal structuring of the 7 Sisters (at Kuala Lumpur in February) was the recognition accorded to the coalition by the ASEAN Summit meeting and a recent UNAIDS regional consultation. A joint paper was prepared for the former, and when only two of the seven groups received invitations to attend the latter the coalition insisted on, and won funding for representation of all seven. A primary aim of the coalition is to serve as a regional monitoring structure for the UNGASS declaration, in line with ICASO guidelines, and to strengthen national-level organisations by drawing on the local strengths of one or more of the sisters to aid development of the others, as well as to present a united front at the national level where appropriate. The Coalition is a broad-based alliance of seven Asia Pacific regional networks, namely the Asia Pacific Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (APN+), AIDS Society of Asia Pacific (ASAP), Asian Harm Reduction Network (AHRN), Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers (APNSW), Coordination of Action Research on AIDS and Mobility (CARAM-Asia), Asia Pacific Network of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgenders (AP-Rainbow) and the Asia Pacific Council of AIDS Service Organisations (APCASO).