The Mekong Partnership and Beyond is a strategic framework for UNICEF HIV/AIDS/STI prevention and care programming in East Asia and the Pacific. The framework links UNICEF Country Programs with a regional technical assistance, strategic planning and coordination hub in the UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO) HIV/AIDS Unit, allowing UNICEF to respond quickly and effectively to the evolving epidemics in the region.

Building on Success

The Mekong Partnership and Beyond builds on the achievements of the Mekong HIV/AIDS/STI Project, the subregional initiative that launched UNICEF HIV/AIDS responses in the Mekong subregion: Cambodia, China (Yunnan province), Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam.

In the new phase, UNICEF is moving away from the model of a project outside normal programming. Instead, aspects of HIV/AIDS prevention and care are integrated into the new UNICEF Country Programs.

The Mekong Partnership and Beyond strategy also has a broader geographic scope than the Mekong Project, focussing support where it is most needed in East Asia and the Pacific. Priority countries include those with the worst epidemics; countries that are becoming more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and/or have rising incidence of HIV infections; and countries with huge populations (China and Indonesia). UNICEF also seeks to help particularly vulnerable populations, within individual countries or across national boundaries.

The new UNICEF Medium-term Strategic Plan 2002-6 recognizes HIV/AIDS prevention and care as one of five top-ranking global UNICEF priorities.

UNICEF HIV/AIDS programs are funded from UNICEF Regular Resources, a range of bilateral donors and the UNICEF National Committees. The Mekong Partnership and Beyond also utilizes resources and technical support from other international organizations (INGOs and UN) and the UNAIDS Secretariat.

For more information on country-level activities, see the individual country reports.