Kathmandu, October 16:

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Nepal has started a new project for strengthening HIV/AIDS services among the conflict-affected populations in Nepal. The Department for International Development (DFID) is funding for the project through UNAIDS.

The six-month project would be implemented by the General Welfare Pratisthan (GWP), Knight Chess Club (KCC), and Maiti Nepal in six districts - Ilam and Panchthar in the eastern region and Dang, Jumla, Banke and Jakarkot in the mid-western region.

“The new programme is a result of a joint UN assessment undertaken in November 2006 in Banke, Ilam and Kathmandu, and I am confident that together with these non-government organisatons as partners, we can better respond with respect to the protection and prevention of HIV/AIDS,” said Abraham Abraham, UNHCR Representative in Nepal, in a statement today.

The assessment, which sought to identify measures to prevent and respond to HIV/AIDS among conflict-affected populations, revealed that there is a pressing need for better coverage of HIV prevention activities in at-risk populations, regardless of any link during the conflict or the now post-conflict situation.