Kathmandu, March 17:

Over a 100 delegates from SAARC countries and Iran are attending a two-day South Asian workshop on poverty, drug abuse and HIV, which kicked off here today.

The workshop aims to bring together parliamentarians, civil society organisations and affected people to review the challenges being faced in bringing change, reducing stigma and ensuring effective action and intervention to address the gaps in HIV prevention among risk population. Iran’s Minister for Welfare Abdalreza Mesri is also attending the workshop.

Addressing the workshop, Dr Dirgha Singh Bam, secretary at the Ministry of Health and Population, said the government of Nepal was committed to addressing the issues regarding HIV and poverty. He also called upon all nations facing such crises to come together to find solution to the problems associated with HIV/AIDS.

The action plan developed during the workshop will help enhance current capacity, identify gaps and respond cooperatively across the borders. The workshop will also focus on identifying gaps and opportunities for collaborative growth across the region.

The workshop is an initiation by Response Beyond Boundaries, which also aims to identify, review and respond to the challenges faced while providing services to emerging populations like wives of drug abusers, women drug abusers and young people.