Two UN agencies team up to halt spread of AIDS among women and girls
Regional, Health, 5/25/2001

The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the Joint UN Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) signed on Thursday a cooperation agreement in a move to address the alarming spread of HIV/AIDS among women and girls.

The new partnership, which will help strengthen the UN's global response to the epidemic, takes place as governments end weeklong deliberations at UN Headquarters in New York in preparation for next month's special session of the UN General Assembly on HIV/AIDS.

According to the two agencies, while the AIDS itself is a health problem, the epidemic is a gender issue, with women accounting for 47% of the 34.7 million adults living with the virus worldwide.

Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director for UNIFEM says "We must address power imbalances in every single policy, strategy and program related to prevention, treatment and care, if we seriously want to tackle this global challenge. It is not simply a matter of justice and fairness. In this case, gender inequality is fatal."

It is estimated that 55% of all HIV positive adults in Sub-Saharan Africa are women, according to the UN agencies. Teenage girls are infected at a rate 5 times greater than boys. By the mid 1990s, more than 25% of sex workers in Indian cities had tested positive for HIV.

As part of the new agreement, UNIFEM and UNAIDS will work together to raise awareness about the role of power imbalances between women and men and the role of gender relations in HIV transmission. The agencies will investigate the impact of HIV/AIDS on both infected and affected women; the added burden of care imposed on women and girls; and gender inequality in access to prevention, treatment, care and support.

The two agencies will also jointly develop gender-sensitive training manuals for peacekeepers and will work with women's groups in conflict areas to support their involvement in HIV/AIDS programs within the context of peace-building, peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance.

Previous Stories:
  UN health agency's governing body ends session with call for a global AIDS fund   (5/23/2001)
  President of Mauritius island calls for world mobilization against AIDS   (5/22/2001)
  Tobacco, a major obstacle to children's rights   (5/5/2001)

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