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Media campaign stressed for AIDS awareness

STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Mass media campaign should be undertaken and more chapters included in textbooks to increase public awareness about HIV/AIDS, speakers observed at a discussion yesterday.
People have misconceptions about HIV/ AIDS which need to be removed through extensive campaigning and better access to information on reproductive health, they said.
The 'International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD)' was organised by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Bangladesh with technical support by the Khan Foundation (KF). It was held at the KF auditorium. The focus of the discussion was the organisation's 10-year report on Bangladesh.
To check the alarming increase in the country's population, the prevalence of contraceptives should be brought to about 72 per cent,
said M Fazlur Rahman, secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). He was also the chief guest at the ceremony.
The secretary said integrated efforts of the government and the Non Government Organisations (NGOs) are needed.
Rahman also underscored active participation by the local government.
Suneeta Mukherjee, representative of the UNFPA, who attended as special guest, stressed on the need to plan well before implementing awareness programmes on reproductive health.
Janet P Jackson, deputy representa-
tive of UNFPA, Bangladesh, made suggestions for better a monitoring process in this regard.
Among others, Shaikh Khurshid Alam, deputy secretary of the MoHFW, Advocate Rokhsana Khondaker, chairperson of Khan Foundation, also spoke on the occasion.
The ICPD Bangladesh report covers 10 sections including population and development, gender equality and women empowerment, reproductive rights and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS.
UNFPA Headquarters is coordinating a global review to assess progress and constraints at the country level on ICPD commitments. In Bangladesh, MoHFW has led this exercise, with the help of other related ministries and NGOs.
The formal review of ICPD 10 years country level progress report by the UNFPA will be held at New York in 2004.