25/05/2005
Representatives from a dozen Arab nations gathered in Tunis on Tuesday (24 May) for a conference on fighting the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The goal of the four-day meeting, organized by the International Federation of Family Planning and the UN, is to support groups working to raise awareness and offer treatment for these maladies.
At the same time, meeting organizers are taking into account the moral and religious concerns which up to now have been an obstacle to establishing preventive programmes in Arab countries. Countries represented at the conference include Algeria, Morocco, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Egypt, Mauritania, Libya, Sudan, Djibouti, Tunisia, and Palestine. (ME online)