The AIDS epidemic today
http://data.unaids.org/pub/GlobalReport ... bal_en.pdf
UNAIDS Action Framework: Addressing Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV
World YWCA
Globally, women comprise about half of the 33.2 million people living with HIV. Women, especially young women are particularly vulnerable to HIV due to biological factors, inadequate knowledge about HIV and AIDS, insufficient access to prevention services, a general lower status in society and a lack of female-initiated/controlled HIV-prevention methods.
Risk to HIV infection is highest among the poorest and least powerful members of society, which includes women. The vulnerability of women, young women and girls is almost always exacerbated in situations of armed conflict where women and girls are likely to experience sexual exploitation and violence.
In order to address these inequalities and reduce the vulnerability to HIV that women face daily – just because they are women, strong leadership is required at all levels, especially from governments and the United Nations.
The work of UNAIDS is guided by a Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) with representatives of 22 governments from all geographic regions, the UNAIDS Cosponsors, and five representatives of nongovernmental organisations, including associations of people living with HIV.
In June 2006, the 18th Programme Coordinating Board of UNAIDS requested that guidelines be produced to address gender issues in response to the increased feminisation of the epidemic in many regions of the world. Governments would use these ‘guidelines’ as well as national AIDS programmes, donors, international agencies, the UN system and NGOs.
Three years later, at the 24th PCB meeting in Geneva, June 22 – 24, 2009, the UNAIDS Action Framework: Addressing Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV was on the agenda. The World YWCA and partners united to ensure that this framework will be implemented in a way that supports member states and the United Nations systems in taking concrete actions to address the vulnerability of women and girls, gender equality, women’s rights and their empowerment.
Following a number of governments supporting similar messages read out by the NGO PCB Delegation from Latin America and the NGO observer delegation many decision points were agreed on by the PCB – some of which include:
1. Further strengthening of the framework on women, girls and gender equality “by creating enabling environments for upholding women's human rights and addressing the needs of women living with HIV, including by providing a strong focus on comprehensive prevention approaches to HIV, Sexual and Reproductive Health, and Violence against Women, and through resource allocation and capacity building of women's organisations and networks of women living with HIV.â€
