U.N. Population Division To Report on Impact of HIV/AIDS

Statistics and data are important for governments and international agencies seeking to deal with the consequences of the AIDS epidemic, and as a result the United Nations Population Division, as the "world's keeper of statistics," is focusing its resources on reporting on issues that will be key in the fight against the disease, U.N. Wire reports. The Population Division, which often works "behind the scenes," will gather data to help warn the public about the political consequences of AIDS, U.N. Wire reports. As part of this effort, the division is planning to conduct a brainstorming session in September on the impact of HIV/AIDS as part of a series of division meetings and reports on "new and potentially controversial" findings on world population trends, according to U.N. Wire. In an era of "open hostility" toward the United Nations on the part of the United States, the Population Division has enjoyed solid support from both political parties, as well as officials in the Bush administration, Joseph Chamie, director of the division, said, according to U.N. Wire (Crossette, U.N. Wire, 6/23).