VIENTIANE - Representatives from member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have gathered in Laos to discuss ways to improve strategies for scaling up HIV programs.

Laos' Ministry of Health hosted the meeting in the Lao capital Vientiane on Aug 5-6 to introduce progress made in HIV response among ASEAN member states, according to a report from the ministry's Center of Information and Education for Health on Wednesday.

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The objectives of the meeting were to ensure that global and regional response plans for HIV/AIDS are shared and implemented and ASEAN member states share their good practices and experiences on innovative strategies to tailor HIV services to specific populations.

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The meeting facilitated discussions among ASEAN member states, the ASEAN Secretariat, the World Health Organization and other stakeholders for the sharing of updates, good practices and lessons learned on innovative strategies to scale-up HIV services for key populations.

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ASEAN nations are committed to working together to explore all possibilities and overcome challenges in HIV/AIDS response to benefit key populations.