Male and female religious followers vow to prevent HIV/AIDS

The conference, jointly held by the Thua Thien Hue provincial Women’s Union and the Nordic Assistance to Vietnam (NAV), drew participation of around 200 representatives from six major religions in the country and international organizations as well as workers in several HIV/AIDS care and prevention models nationwide.

The conference aimed to provide a forum for agencies of all levels and religious organizations to make a full and more comprehensive assessment of the HIV/AIDS situation in Vietnam. It also highlighted religious organizations’ active contributions to preventing HIV/AIDS, thus further promoting the role of religions in the work.

More than 40 reports were delivered at the conference, mainly focusing o­n the role of male and female religious followers in HIV/AIDS prevention, and their commitments to preventing the disease.

The participants shared experiences in HIV/AIDS prevention through several models which have been implemented nationwide in the past as well as building a more favourable environment for religious women in Vietnam to actively and effectively participate in HIV/AIDS prevention efforts, helping ease discriminations against HIV/AIDS victims and reduce the spreading of the disease in the community.