Trade cooperation between the two countries, in which Indonesia always enjoys a surplus, has shown a downward trend since 2003. Last year, the trade value decreased by 74.7 percent from 2006's US$30.69 million. (The Jakarta Post)

The United Nations has asked Indonesia to be more aggressive in curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Visiting special envoy for HIV-AIDS for the UN secretary-general for Asia and the Pacific Nafis Sadik said several provinces and groups in the country have a high rate of HIV/AIDS that threatened to spread nationally.

"The groups and people living with HIV/AIDS don't live in isolation and they move to the general population. That's how an epidemic becomes a generalized epidemic," she told a press conference here Friday.

"Once it turns into a generalized epidemic, it becomes much more difficult to control it," she said.

A generalized epidemic is when HIV/AIDS has spread beyond the high-risk section of the population and into the general public, including mothers and children, with a prevalence level of more than 1 percent of the population.

HIV was first detected in Indonesia more than 20 years ago. Since 2000, the epidemic has been concentrated in a number of high-risk groups, with prevalence levels reaching over 5 percent mainly among injecting drug users, female sex workers and the transgendered.

In Papua, the situation is far worse and the epidemic has reached the general population, National AIDS Commission secretary Nafsiah Mboi said.

"The situation shows that Indonesia is in a stage of a concentrated HIV epidemic. The HIV situation in Papua, however, indicates a generalized epidemic," she said.

While praising the existing national plan and activities such the establishment of a national commission on HIV/AIDS, Sadik said the country must raise its own resources and funds to be able to execute the plans instead of depending on external funding.

She said Indonesia must also address the issue of stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS as well as denial about the spread of the virus.

"As 50 percent of Indonesia's population are young people and many of them are vulnerable to being infected, Indonesia must provide education to this generation on reproduction and HIV/AIDS issues. Access to condoms should also be addressed because the use of condoms in Indonesia is very low, even in the family planning program," Sadik said.

A campaign to increase awareness among men of the need to protect themselves and their partners was required, she added.

The envoy also urged the government to set up prevention, treatment and support programs that were gender sensitive as more and more women were being infected with the HIV virus.

Sadik, who finished her three-day visit to Indonesia on Friday, met with First Lady Ani Yudhoyono, who is also the country's ambassador for HIV/AIDS, and several ministers, including Coordinating Minister for the People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie, Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari and State Minister for Women's Empowerment Meutia Hatta-Swasono, to talk about the country's efforts to tackle the epidemic.