FIGHTING AGAINST HIV/AIDS: WORLD BANK LAUNCHES SUPPORT FOR VIETNAM’S INNOVATORS

Hanoi, February 13, 2004 – Klaus Rohland, World Bank Country Director for Vietnam, today launched this year’s funding for innovators in communities throughout Vietnam. Focusing on the issue of HIV/AIDS, the new initiative will provide direct funding to implement innovative ideas that support the fight against the epidemic, reduce discrimination and stigma against people with HIV and improve their life.

The event is also cosponsored by many foreign donors, including the Australian Agency for International Development, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Canada Fund, United Kingdom’s Department for International Development. At least $100,000 will be shared among 10 or more winning projects, which will be chosen by an open competition culminating in a ‘Vietnam Innovation Day’ in mid May, 2004.

The competition is open to Vietnamese non-governmental organizations, local governments, and public and private development agencies from across Vietnam: anyone who has a good idea for a new service or a new way of communicating and doing something that would raise public awareness toward HIV/AIDS, fight against stigma and discrimination to ensure social inclusion for people living with HIV is eligible to apply for the funding to make their idea become reality. Detailed information of the procedures to follow is available from the World Bank Office at 63 Ly Thai To, Hanoi or from www.worldbank.org.vn

The themes of fighting again HIV/AIDS was chosen to support the Government of Vietnam to combat the accelerating epidemic and to prevent the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS seen in other developing countries.

“HIV/AIDS is a time bomb that must be defused,’’ said Rohland. “It is time to scale-up our efforts before it is too late to protect our society and our young generation from this deadly epidemic. The event also aims at creating a better living environment for those patients who are every minutes struggling with the disease.”

Finalists in the competition will be invited to present their ideas to a panel of judges at the Vietnam Innovation Day in Hanoi in May 2004, which will also provide organizations with a platform on which to test their ideas and seek opportunities to expand and scale-up their innovations. Innovators will have the opportunity to meet, share ideas and exchange information, while raising public awareness for the issues of HIV/AIDS. A Knowledge Forum will be held in association with the Vietnam Innovation Day, where leaders and innovators will be invited to share experience of effective ways to fight against HIV/AIDS.

Background Information on the Vietnam Innovation Day

• Delivering the message: Ministry of Health estimates that there are 76,189 HIV infected people in the country, of them 11,659 AIDS patient and 6,550 have died from AIDS. One in 80 households throughout Vietnam would have a HIV+ member by 2005, according to the Ministry. The epidemic has signs of spreading from high-risk groups into the community and the economic and social burden is on increase. At the same time, there has been growing evidence that discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS is common in Vietnam, especially in employment and health services. It’s time for stepping up the efforts to raise public awareness toward the epidemic, behavior-changing communication and fights against stigma and discrimination to ensure social inclusion for people living with HIV.

• Protecting our young generation: : The rate of infections among the 20-29 age group increased from 15% in 1993 to 54.7% in the end of 2003. The infections among the 15-49 age group occupied 95 percent of HIV infected cases, according to Ministry of Health. Youthful HIV epidemic has serious implication for Vietnam as youth occupy 25 percent of the labor force and are the major economic asset for each household as well as for the country. There are also an increasing number of children born to HIV+ mother; many of them are orphans and a number of them are living abandoned in hospitals around the country.

• Counselling and care for HIV infected people: There is a growing need for pre- and post- HIV testing counselling. Three quarter of HIV infected people required the assistance of a caregiver. Good counselling could help both caregivers and people living with HIV to cope better with the condition and lead more positive lives.

The winning proposals will be those that best present a new and innovative idea that can directly help preventing HIV/AIDS or reducing discrimination and stigma toward people with HIV. Innovation in this context means an introduction of a new service or a new way of doing something.

Background information on the global Country Innovation Day initiative

The Vietnam Innovation Day is part of the worldwide Country Innovation Day (CID) initiative, which evolved out of the Development Marketplace, a global competition the World Bank holds every 18 to 24 months for innovative development ideas. Based on this concept, Country Innovation Days (CIDs) were conceived as a “mini marketplace’’ for innovative ideas held at the national level. The program’s goals are to identify and support small local projects and create an opportunity for individuals among organizations such as NGOs, the private sector and government agencies to meet, exchange ideas and share information.

The CIDs are decentralized, and all activities are therefore coordinated by the local World Bank country office in cooperation with local government and other partner institutions.

The first Vietnam Innovation Day centered around the theme of "Innovations for a Safer Life" was successfully organized in May 2003 with 19 projects receiving start-up funds totaling over US$170,000. An additional 11 projects participated in the Innovation Day received a small grant of $600 each to further refine their proposals.

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