The Third National AIDS Conference is to be organized in Kathmandu with the slogan: "Access for All" to the control and treatment of AIDS and other services to it, the Nepali national news agency RSS reported Wednesday.

The aim of organizing the four-day national conference is to make an effective outline of the national policy and programs regarding the AIDS by scrutinizing the weakness of the past programs.

It was informed at a press conference on Wednesday that as many as 1,000 people from various 300 associations will participate in the conference to begin from July 4.

The Nepali government, Ministry of Health and Population of Nepal, and HIV/AIDS and STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease) Control Center will jointly organize the conference while some 21 non- governmental organizations including the Global Fund, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and World Health Organization will provide monetary assistance to organize the conference, it is said.

Coordinator of the organizing committee, Dr. Sarad Raj Want, said people from all sectors will be invited to participate in the conference.

There are some 70,000 HIV victims in Nepal. Among them, 1,857 are children under 14.

The HIV contraction ratio in man-woman is 3:1, according to the report.

(Xinhua News Agency July 3, 2008)