At the 5th ASEM Summit (ASEM5) in Ha Noi, Viet Nam, in October 2004, State leaders expressed their concern about the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on socio-economic development of countries. The leaders reaffirmed their unanimity on the Declaration on the Joint Commitment approved at a special meeting of the UN General Assembly on HIV/AIDS, unanimously agreed to include the HIV/AIDS prevention activities in the ASEM cooperation framework, and approved the initiative to jointly organise a seminar on HIV/AIDS control by the four countries – Sweden, the Netherlands, the Philippines and Viet Nam.