Richard Gere Visits HIV/AIDS Project in Mumbai

India has over 4 million cases of HIV/AIDS, second only to South Africa. Hollywood actor Richard Gere, on a mission to raise HIV/AIDS awareness in the country, visited a USAID-supported counseling, testing and referral center in Kamathipura, a red light district in the heart of Mumbai, one of India's largest cities. [more]

Natural Resource Management Improves Livelihoods and Preserves Biodiversity in North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Sustainable development is key to preserving the rich biodiversity of the world's tropical coastal areas. Through proper coastal resource management, communities throughout the Indonesian province of North Sulawesi are enhancing their standards of living while preserving their natural environment. [more]

December 1, 2003 - World AIDS Day

Five people worldwide die of AIDS every minute of every day. In Asia and the Near East, 7.1 million people are HIV positive. Four hundred and fifty-seven thousand people in the region die annually from HIV/AIDS-related illnesses, accounting for about one-sixth of deaths worldwide.

While the numbers of those infected may seem low compared to Africa, they have the potential to explode. By 2010, Asia could lead the world with up to 40 million HIV-infected people. (read more)

November 25, 2003: International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

Combating Trafficking in Women and Children in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Nepal
In the Bangladeshi film Meghla Akash, a young girl runs away from home in the country and is tricked into marriage by a trafficker. She is sold to a brothel and forced into sexual slavery. A popular success, Meghla Akash, manages to weave contentious topics, such as HIV/AIDS, unprotected sex, violence against women, and gender discrimination, into the plot. In the conservative Bangladeshi society, its success is especially noteworthy. (read more)

Telecommunications in the Philippines: Better Laws and Better Service
Like the rest of its neighbors, the Philippines was hit hard by the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s. Recovery has been slow, due in part to corruption and weak legal infrastructure. One industry that remains a dynamic source of jobs and revenue is the telecommunications industry. (read more)

Middle East Regional Cooperation Program (MERC) - Pre-proposals for grants being accepted until December 15, 2003