[podcast] Transgender rights and gender justice: Translate promises into realities

This Podcast features Abhina Aher, a leading #ForceForChange for gender equality and transgender rights and justice. She is in conversation with Sumita Thapar, CNS Special Correspondent, and development communication professional, and one of those media actors who will onsite at the upcoming Women Deliver 2023 in Kigali, Rwanda.

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, aCast, Podtail, BluBrry, Himalaya, ListenNotes, American Podcasts, CastBox FM, Ivy FM, Player FM, and other podcast streaming platforms.

[video] Have we progressed on gender equality and human rights in Arab and African states?

[video] Translating transgender rights in context of each SDGs goal and target is vital

[podcast] Taiwan's leadership on making undetectable equals untransmittable is vital to #endAIDS and #humanrights

Listen to this Podcast featuring Fletcher Yi-Chi Chiu who is the Director of Communications of Persons with HIV/AIDS Rights Advocacy Association of Taiwan (PRAA Taiwan) and also serves as Asia Pacific Board Member of Y+Global (Global Network of Young People Living with HIV). Fletcher is in conversation with CNS founder and Managing Editor Shobha Shukla, in lead up to Women Deliver 2023 and International HIV Science Congress of International AIDS Society in Brisbane, Australia.

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, aCast, Podtail, BluBrry, Himalaya, ListenNotes, American Podcasts, CastBox FM, Ivy FM, Player FM, and other podcast streaming platforms.

[video] Taiwan's leadership on #UequalsU: Making undetectable-equals-untransmittable a reality for every person with HIV is vital to #endAIDS

Gender Equality Talks | #GETalksLive: Season-2 features 90for90!

Be welcome to Season-2 of Gender Equality Talks (#GETalksLive) which is livecasted on social media during July-December 2023. #GETalksLive features 90for90 - 90 global voices demanding that progress on gender equality must be on track to deliver on UN SDGs in the next 90 months (by 2030 or before). Countdown is on. #ItsHighTime for #Accountability.

Watch these 90 episodes which will stream this year on a range of issues around gender justice featuring insights, critical thinking, analysis and viewpoints of 90 people who are on the frontlines striving for gender justice worldwide.

When farmers choose to grow food, not tobacco, sustainable development wins

"We need food, not tobacco," was the theme of the World No Tobacco Day 2023. The UN health agency, the World Health Organization (WHO) rightly points out that tobacco contributes to increased food insecurity. Apart from being a deadly health hazard that is responsible for over 8 million deaths every year globally, tobacco production also adversely impacts economic stability, food security, gender equality, and our environment.

The Head must follow what the hand writes

[हिन्दी] We are about to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the first-ever United Nations High Level Meeting (UN HLM) on the fight against tuberculosis (TB) that was held on 26 September 2018 during the 73rd UN General Assembly. "The UN meeting resulted in an action-oriented political declaration, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 October 2018," said the UN health agency, the World Health Organization (WHO).

Pandemic is over but the fight to end corporate capture of healthcare intensifies

When 99% of the people worldwide were reeling under the severe COVID-19 pandemic and cascading humanitarian crises, 1% of the corporate elites continued to sinisterly push for privatisation of public services and minted even more profits. More shocking is the fact that corporate plunder peaked (even in healthcare) during the severest of public health emergencies in recent times.

People’s spirit to help each other shone bright in the darkest of COVID-19 times

Despite the grief and sorrow brimming in people’s hearts during the severest of the COVID-19 pandemic waves, the indomitable spirit to help each other survived and shone bright.

Close the tap: Mopping the floor approach is not enough to end TB

As per the latest Global TB Report of the World Health Organization (WHO), globally 10.6 million people developed TB in 2021 - an increase of 4.5% from 10.1 million in 2020. Eight of the thirty high TB burden countries (India, Indonesia, China, Philippines, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo) accounted for 68% of the global total with India leading the pack at 28%.

Ending tobacco use is the bedrock for progressing towards ending TB and SDGs

Globally all governments have promised to end tuberculosis (TB) by 2030, with the Indian government aiming to end it 5 years before the global target. TB was the deadliest of all infectious diseases till the pandemic hit us. But if we look at TB high burden nations, such as India and Indonesia, it continues to be the biggest killer infectious disease leaving COVID-19 behind - though undeniably, even one death due to TB or COVID-19, is a death too many.

[video] Bangladesh's Weekly Blitz interviews CNS leaders

The conundrum of TB, tobacco use and NCDs in Asia Pacific

Asia Pacific region had over 6.7 million new TB cases and over 883,000 people died of TB in 2021, as per the latest Global TB Report of the World Health Organization (WHO). The top 5 biggest risk factors that caused TB disease in 2021 in Asia Pacific region were undernourishment (1.2 million new cases), tobacco use (502,000 new TB cases), alcohol (486,000 new TB cases), diabetes (234,000 new TB cases), and HIV (209,000 new TB cases).

Will lessons from COVID-19 and TB vaccine rollout improve pandemic preparedness and health security?

TB high burden countries India and Nigeria both have had decades of experience in rolling out the TB vaccine. Both nations were successful (even if not ideal) in reaching out to a large part of their populations with COVID-19 vaccination. Are there any lessons that we can learn from this experience of rolling out vaccines against TB and COVID-19, which might pave the way for improving preparedness for the rollout of future vaccines?

Blunting of AIDS epidemic: It's time for zero-complacency and stronger action

After over 42 years when HIV virus was first detected, the fight against AIDS has indeed come a long way. Ending AIDS by 2030 means that every person globally has access to full spectrum of combination prevention options to protect oneself from HIV, all people living with HIV know their status, receive lifesaving antiretroviral therapy, and remain virally suppressed. Science-proven fact that when HIV virus is at undetectable levels then it is untransmittable too, or “undetectable equals untransmittable” (U Equals U) needs to be a reality in life of every person living with HIV.

Is HIV self-test among the missing links to reach the #endAIDS goal?

[हिन्दी] Almost half the countries worldwide have not yet included HIV self-test in their AIDS response. Only one-fourth of all nations globally do HIV self-test routinely. This is despite the strong evidence which exists not only for HIV self-test, but also how self-tests for COVID-19, diabetes, or pregnancy, have yielded major public health and development gains. Then why wait to expand HIV care cascade by including HIV self-test, asks Dr Ishwar Gilada, who was the first medical doctor to begin HIV medical management when first case got diagnosed in the country in 1986.

Will shorter, safer and more effective TB regimen reach those in need?

Watch the interview on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram

"Patients in India and other countries are falling ill with drug-resistant TB every day. We believe these patients should not have to wait, they need better treatments today – not one or few years down the line. We have the data and strong scientific evidence to show why shorter, safer, more effective regimens to treat drug resistant TB be scaled up programmatically” said Dr Animesh Sinha, Advisor for Tuberculosis at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) or Doctors Without Borders.

We cannot end TB if we leave the older people behind

Despite an alarming TB burden among the older people, programmatic response to address it is far from optimal, said Dr Vijay Kumar Arora, Chairperson of TB Association of India, who is also the Chairperson of Southeast Asia region of the International Union Against TB and Lung Disease (The Union).

When disease burden is low, why COVID-19 continues to be called a pandemic?

[Watch on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook] On 30 January 2023, three years after the WHO had first declared COVID-19 as a public health emergency of international concern, the WHO announced that COVID-19 continues to be a public health emergency of international concern.

It is time to get back to basics if we are to end TB

This year’s World TB Day theme is #WeCanEndTB. However, many nations in the global north were successful in eliminating TB as a public health threat many decades back.

Connecting the dots: TB, tobacco, air pollution, modernization, urbanization, industrialization, and bad diet and lifestyle

Smoking rates decline in Cambodia but challenges remain to #endTobacco

New study findings show that the number of tobacco smokers in Cambodia has declined by one-fifth during the 2014-2021 period. However, to end tobacco use which remains the single largest preventable cause of diseases and untimely deaths, stronger urgent actions are needed in Cambodia, and globally.

The Djinn of vaccine hesitancy: Is it still out?

[हिन्दी] It was a busy day for Usman Mu’azu Yusuf as he negotiated with customers at his shop in the Nasarawa GRA area of Kano, Kano State, in Nigeria. The proximity between him and his customers was well less than the one-metre stipulated for the COVID-19 safety protocols.

Shadow pandemic: Gender-based violence is one of the biggest human rights violations

Although the world gave unprecedented attention to the COVID-19 pandemic, yet it has long ignored paying heed to one of the most widespread violations of human rights globally: sexual and other forms of gender-based violence – a shadow pandemic that has been menacingly lurking since long. May be it is the deep-seated patriarchy and its sinister links with capitalism and religious fundamentalism that prevents us from ending all forms of violence against women and girls, and other people of different gender identities and expressions.

Thai government shuts down key-population led PrEP services

Mounting pressure on government to reverse policies jeopardising HIV prevention services for men who have sex with men, transgender women and sex workers

Bobby Ramakant, Shobha Shukla, Roger Pebody

(published in aidsmap on 13 February 2023)

[video] Why has Thailand jolted its community-led HIV response as well as other disease prevention and health promotion?

[podcast] Why has Thailand jolted its community-led HIV response as well as other disease prevention and health promotion?

This podcast features Natthakarn Laohacharoensombat from MPLUS Foundation Thailand, who explains in details how community-led interventions that were instrumental in improving access to thousands of people to #PreExposureProphylaxis #PrEP and #PostExposureProphylaxis #PEP, are threatened and disrupted due to recent Government decisions. These recent government decisions also impact access to free HIV testing for all or condoms and other HIV prevention services.

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, aCast, Podtail, BluBrry, Himalaya, ListenNotes, American Podcasts, CastBox FM, Ivy FM, Player FM, and other podcast streaming platforms.

[video] Dr Nittaya Phanuphak demands urgent resolution of policy challenges threatening Thai AIDS response

[podcast] Dr Nittaya Phanuphak demands urgent resolution of challenges confronting Thai AIDS response

This podcast features Dr Nittaya Phanuphak, Executive Director of IHRI (Institute of HIV Research and Innovation) who got twice elected to the Governing Council of International AIDS Society (IAS) from Asia Pacific region, and currently serves on the GC IAS too. 

She explains in details how community-led interventions that were instrumental in improving access to thousands of people to #PreExposureProphylaxis #PrEP and #PostExposureProphylaxis #PEP, are threatened and disrupted due to recent Government decisions. These recent government decisions also impact access to free HIV testing for all or condoms and other HIV prevention services. Now several groups like APCOM, IHRI, Raks Thai Foundation, Swing Foundation, Rainbow Sky Association of Thailand, FHI 360, MPlus Foundation Chiang Mai, among others are lobbying the Thai government to reverse this policy guideline, and resume and scale up access to HIV prevention and whole range of services which is key to be on track to #endAIDS by 2030. 

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, aCast, Podtail, BluBrry, Himalaya, ListenNotes, American Podcasts, CastBox FM, Ivy FM, Player FM, and other podcast streaming platforms.

[podcast] Will Thailand government reverse the decision that disrupted access to HIV prevention services like PrEP?

This podcast features Midnight Poonkasetwattana, Executive Director of APCOM who shares insights on the how recent decisions made by Thailand government has disrupted community-led HIV prevention services such as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP).

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, aCast, Podtail, BluBrry, Himalaya, ListenNotes, American Podcasts, CastBox FM, Ivy FM, Player FM, and other podcast streaming platforms.

[video] Will Thailand government #TakeBack policy that has disrupted access to #PrEP?

Whither women's reproductive health in Asia Pacific

Healthcare centre in northern Thailand (CNS photo library)

While the world has made many advancements in healthcare, millions of women and girls in low- and low-middle income countries are still far away from having bodily autonomy and are not able to make informed decisions regarding their sexual and reproductive health. Even in countries like Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, or Thailand where total fertility rate is relatively low, despite such commendable progress, there are challenges yet to be overcome.