Thematic panel discussion, “Women, Girls, and HIV”, which focuses on the disproportionate burden of HIV that is carried by women and girls around the world. (Left to right): Stephanie Nolan, journalist at the “Globe and Mail”; Hanno Pevkur, Minister of Social Affairs for Estonia; and Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Health for the Republic of South Africa. UN Headquarters in New York, 9 June 2011
Credit: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

Women, girls and HIV was the theme of a high level panel which was held at the United Nations on Thursday 9 June. The event, which forms part of the UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on AIDS, was chaired by Hanno Pevkur, Minister of Social Affairs, Estonia.

The interactive discussion was moderated by Stephanie Nolen and the high level panel included Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Health, Republic of South Africa; Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of UNFPA, represented the United Nations; and Siphiwe Hlophe, the co-founder of the non-governmental organization Swaziland for Positive Living.

“In 30 years of dealing with HIV,” explained Mr Pevkur, “we have learned that it is as much a social as a medical problem; and the lack of quality of sexual reproductive health and rights services, violence, harmful cultural practices, are fuelling the epidemic.”

To explore the issue, the panellists and speakers from the floor responded to a series of questions and identified strategies that will help the HIV response to spark social transformation for women and girls to secure their human rights and protect themselves against HIV. They discussed ways to ensure that the specific needs and vulnerabilities of women and girls are adequately addressed in the response to HIV.

Unequal opportunities

In many societies, women face barriers in accessing HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services due to limited decision-making power, lack of control over financial resources, restricted mobility and unequal care responsibilities. Lack of education is another major barrier; around two-thirds of the world’s 796 million illiterate adults are women.

“We will not attain a sustainable response if we do not invest in women with education and economic empowerment,” said Ms Hlophe who highlighted need to engage communities including at the rural level so that all women are empowered. There was consensus that comprehensive sexuality education, which includes HIV education, is a key component of effective evidence-informed HIV prevention. Such education should be made available in a non judgemental, youth-friendly way, to adolescents and young people in and out of schools, and must include human rights and gender equality.

Challenge violence against women

One of the event findings was that stopping AIDS requires acting to stop violence against women at every level. “Violence against women is both a cause and a consequence of HIV,” said Minister Pevkur. The participants discussed how to better address the linkages between violence against women and girls and HIV as well as the social determinants that increase their vulnerability to HIV infection.

The risk of HIV among women who have experienced violence may be up to three times higher than those who have not. The prevalence of forced first sex among adolescent girls below 15 years ranges between 11% and 45% globally. Laws and policies that prevent and punish violence against women, including harmful traditional norms, and effective implementation, are paramount the speakers concluded.

Ensure access to comprehensive HIV and sexual and reproductive health services

There were calls for political leaders and stakeholders to champion “women- and girl- tailored” approaches in policy and programming. Another recommendation was the need to ensure that women in all their diversity, including adolescent girls and young women, have access to comprehensive HIV and sexual and reproductive health services, free of violence, discrimination, and coercion.

Uphold women’s human rights

It is crucial for governments to commit to fulfil all women’s human rights, including their sexual and reproductive health and rights. There is an urgent need for a clear target which views women in their entirety, across their lifespan, and not solely as mothers.

Invest in women and girls                    

The discussion also highlighted the need for greater and sustainable investment in the leadership of women and girls, as well as in strengthening women’s rights organizations and networks of women living with HIV, is needed to achieve the meaningful engagement of women and girls in the response to HIV

UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on AIDS

Thirty years into the AIDS epidemic, and 10 years since the landmark UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS, the world has come together to review progress and chart the future course of the global AIDS response at the 2011 UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on AIDS from 8–10 June 2011 in New York. Member States are expected to adopt a new Declaration that will reaffirm current commitments and commit to actions to guide and sustain the global AIDS response.

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé and Ms Alicia Keys, Artist and Global Ambassador of Keep a Child Alive at the launch of the report report titled “In Women’s Words: HIV priorities for positive change”. New York, 7 June 2011.
Credit: UNAIDS/J.Szenes

To bring to the forefront priority actions for the AIDS response put forward by women around the world ahead of the General Assembly High Level Meeting on AIDS, a special event was held on 7 June.

The event launched a report In Women’s Words: HIV priorities for positive change . The publication summarizes the key messages and findings from a global virtual consultation which engaged with nearly 800 women from over 95 countries and in nine languages. The consultation was a platform to give a voice to women living with and affected by HIV to express their priorities and vision for the future of the AIDS response. The publication enables the participants of the consultation to share their viewpoints and call to action to a wider audience.

The launch was followed by a panel discussion moderated by journalist and author Stephanie Nolen.

The President of Rwanda Paul Kagame described the efforts in his country to end gender inequality. “In Rwanda, we strive every day to empower every women and girl to claim their true value, not as a favour, not because it is politically expedient, but because it is their right and we embrace that.”

UNAIDS Executive Director echoed the importance of criticality of women’s empowerment. “We will never succeed in achieving zero new infections, zero AIDS-related deaths and even zero stigma and discrimination, when women living with HIV are coerced into sterilization or abortion; or in a world where women cannot negotiate safe sex; a world where rape is not treated as a crime.”

Frika Chiya who is a young woman living with HIV, highlighted women’s calls to be fully engaged in scaling up the AIDS response saying, “I am a living proof that a lot has been achieved in the last 10 years; let’s not lose the momentum. Talk to us, not about us.”

International artist and Global Ambassador of Keep a Child Alive Alicia Keys also participated in the event. “If we show the next generation of women and girls that we care by providing the resources to achieve universal access, this will empower them,” she said. “If we do that, we will stop the epidemic in its tracks.”

The event was co-organized by UNAIDS, UN Women, the Global Coalition on Women and AIDS and the ATHENA Network. Watch a video below:

UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on AIDS

Thirty years into the AIDS epidemic, and 10 years since the landmark UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS, the world has come together to review progress and chart the future course of the global AIDS response at the 2011 UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on AIDS from 8–10 June 2011 in New York. Member States are expected to adopt a new Declaration that will reaffirm current commitments and commit to actions to guide and sustain the global AIDS response.

Dr Paul DeLay, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Programme
Credit: UNAIDS

The fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC-IV) ran 9-13 May in Istanbul, Turkey. Member states met to discuss objectives and targets for the next decade 2011-2021.

According to Mithat Rende, coordinator for the LDC-IV, "There are 48 least developed countries in the world with a population of 950 million.” These countries account for 12% of the world’s population and an estimated half of people in these countries live in conditions of extreme poverty.

To place gender equality and the empowerment of women at the centre of discussions on human and social development, a high level interactive debate was held on 12 May.

The debate, which brought together leaders in the field of governance, development and United Nations bodies, was co-chaired by Peter Shanel Agovaka, Minister of Foreign Affairs & External Trade, Solomon Islands and Steven Vanackere, Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Belgium.

UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Programme, Paul De Lay described how an effective and sustainable AIDS response has created solidarity and cohesion around common priority issues across the development spectrum. Addressing the underlying social and economic drivers of the epidemic and companion health, development and rights challenges helps catalyze positive social change and accelerate development. He noted, “Successes will depend on the engagement of key populations in every facet of the response.”

“Removing common barriers that unblock progress on AIDS, such as gender inequality, also advance progress on maternal and child health and universal education,” Dr De Lay said. “The AIDS response has built bridges for health, development and human rights,” he added.

Development, gender inequality, and HIV

The 2010 Human Development Report showed that the countries with low human development score highest in a Gender Inequality Index. Women in these countries have lower access to education and economic opportunities, and lack of a political voice.

Women make up around half of all people living with HIV and 76% of women living with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa. Some 30 years since AIDS was first reported, persistent gender inequality and human rights violations continue to put women and girls at a greater risk of and vulnerability to HIV.

These obstacles are hampering progress and threaten the gains that have been made in preventing new HIV infections and in increasing access to treatment. In addition to their biological susceptibility to HIV, women and girls face many interacting socio-cultural, economic and legal challenges that amplify their vulnerability.

The participants discussed the need to define concrete goals that can be evaluated by better data in order to mainstream gender and social protection in a meaningful way into development programmes. Ensuring that social protection policies are gender responsive and inclusive are seen as critical components of this agenda for future action. There was a call for smart investments in women and girls and the need to invest in young people including in their education and reproductive health.

Ensuring universal access

Earlier in the week Dr De Lay moderated a side event on Ensuring universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services: country perspectives during which he gave an overview of the history of universal access. Looking ahead to next month’s General Assembly gathering he said, “The 2011 High Level Meeting from 8–10 June will present a unique opportunity to review progress and reinvigorate the AIDS response. The time has come to reaffirm commitments against global targets.”

A keynote speech was delivered on behalf of Bathabile Olive Dlamini, South Africa’s Minister of Social Development, by Zane Dangor, Special Advisor to the Ministry, Department of Social Development. The speech presented the outcomes of the International Advisory Group on Universal Access which convened recently in Johannesburg, and discussed progress in HIV in the broader context of solidarity for human rights. He stressed that the AIDS movement has proved that human rights are not just about values and ideology:  protecting human rights is a requirement for saving lives. Panelists from Tanzania, Nepal and the African Union illustrated this point with powerful experiences working with national AIDS programmes, young people, communities and families in scaling-up to universal access.

Dr. Nguyen Thanh Long, Director General of the Viet Nam Authority for AIDS Control discussed gender mainstreaming in the next National Strategy on HIV

Nguyen Thi Hien, from Viet Nam’s northern province of Bac Ninh, contracted HIV from her husband. “My husband told me when we started our relationship that he had sex with sex workers and injected drugs in the past, but I did not know then what the implications were for me,” she said.

Ms Nguyen Thi, now a peer educator of the Bright Futures network of people living with HIV, said most of the women she meets are widows of men who injected drugs and who only found out their HIV status after their husbands died of an AIDS-related illness.

According to the Viet Nam Authority for AIDS Control (VAAC), in 2010 women accounted for up to 30% of the total registered HIV infections in Viet Nam, while before 2005 women made up less than 15%.

The epidemic in Viet Nam is still mainly concentrated among men who inject drugs. However, this change in the ratio of newly reported HIV cases may reflect an increase in HIV transmission from men with high risk behaviours to their wives or regular female sexual partners in Viet Nam.

The Government of Viet Nam has made firm commitments to develop a comprehensive response to HIV, as well as to prioritize gender equality within the country’s socio-economic development strategy.

To support this, the government and major stakeholders, including civil society and people living with HIV, came together to discuss ways to improve the gender responsiveness of the 2011-2020 National Strategy on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control. “We need to mainstream gender issues in each of the three pillars of the next strategy including HIV prevention, treatment and care, and impact mitigation,” said Dr Nguyen Thanh Long, Director General of the Viet Nam Authority for AIDS Control (VAAC).

Technical experts from UN Women and UNAIDS joined the discussions on 14-17 March. Participants identified areas of the national HIV response that should better respond to the specific needs of women and men at higher risk of infection. These include men and women who inject drugs, female and male sex workers and women whose intimate partners engage in high-risk behaviour. One area to explore is how the rapid scale up of methadone maintenance therapy—a priority for the next phase of the HIV response—could offer opportunities to better protect the HIV-negative sexual partners of drug users; for example, by providing people taking methadone with services to prevent sexual transmission of HIV.

“I have seen good signals of an engendered HIV strategy for Viet Nam,” said Suzette Mitchell, UN Women Country Representative. “Viet Nam has strong political commitment to address gender issues; and civil society is very engaged, providing many good ideas for gender mainstreaming in the strategy,” she added.

A 2010 United Nations-supported analysis of the current strategy for Viet Nam’s HIV response highlighted the need for more data to better understand the gender dynamics of the epidemic. In particular, the analysis identified a need for more information on how economic reform and social changes have different impacts on men and women and make them vulnerable to HIV.

“Gender issues need to be specifically addressed in the baseline analysis for the strategy and gender sensitive indicators need to be developed,” stressed Dr Long.

With intensified action to place gender issues at the centre of the national AIDS strategy, Viet Nam joins increasing efforts across Asia-Pacific to address this aspect of the AIDS response in the region.

 “Viet Nam is showing extraordinary leadership on this issue,” said Jane Wilson, UNAIDS Gender Advisor from the UNAIDS Regional Support Team. “The agreement to engender the National Strategic Plan will have significant impact in making the AIDS response more effective and is an example of progressive action in the region on gender.” 

Michele Bachelet, UN Women’s Executive Director speaks during the panel discussion on "Taking the Women and Girls Centred HIV Response to the Next Level - Advancing Gender Equality" at UN Headquarters, NYC on 25 February 2011.
Credit: UNAIDS/B. Hamilton

Women and girls are disproportionately affected by the AIDS epidemic. It is estimated that 51% of the people living with HIV worldwide are female, and in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean this figure is close to 60%. HIV is now the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age.

What can and must be done to challenge this stark situation? The 55^th meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), currently taking place in New York, provided a valuable forum for UNAIDS and UN Women to find answers and set strategic directions.

On 25 February a panel discussion, jointly moderated by Michele Bachelet, UN Women’s Executive Director and Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS, examined how to capitalise on political commitment to accelerate HIV responses which place women and girls at their very centre. A key focus was the urgent need to increase the involvement of women and girls living with HIV in the AIDS response, to invest in them as agents of change.

Eminent panellists included, HE Thokozani Khupe, Deputy Prime Minister of Zimbabwe; HE Commissioner Bience Gawanas, the African Union’s Commissioner for Social Affairs and Anandi Yuvraj of the International Community of Women Living with HIV.  

This interactive session used the Agenda for Women and Girls [1] as a basis for the discussions and built on the conclusions from an earlier High Level Consultation on the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls living with HIV which took place on 24 February.

The UNAIDS Agenda for Women and Girls, launched in March 2010 at the 54th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, was developed through a highly consultative process with representatives from governments, women living with HIV, women’s groups and the United Nations family including UNIFEM (now part of UN Women). Since then 56 countries have rolled-out the Agenda with partners from these same diverse constituencies.

The Agenda has given legitimacy to women and girl-related issues, including gender-based violence and sexual and reproductive health services, previously downplayed and neglected in national HIV platforms. The panel emphasized the fact that the call to action has already prompted many countries to implement strategic interventions, such ’know your rights/know your laws’ programmes.

Participants also explored exactly how the newly established organization UN Women presents a major opportunity to promote greater gender equality and empower women and girls to make free and informed decisions about their lives and their health. 

[1] UNAIDS Agenda for Accelerated Country Action for Women and Girls, Gender Equality and HIV

(From left): Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director; Irene Khan, human rights activist; Michelle Bachelet, UN Women Executive Director; Babatunde Osotimehin, UNFPA Executive Director. 24 February 2011.
Credit: UNAIDS/B. Hamilton

HIV is the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age worldwide. For this to change, the global HIV response must fully recognize the significant role that gender inequality plays in increasing women and girls’ vulnerability to HIV.

At a high-level consultation, jointly organized by UNAIDS, UNFPA and UN Women, influential experts, leaders and advocates came together to discuss how sexual and reproductive health, and the rights of women and girls living with HIV can be enhanced and protected.

The event which took place on 24 February, was co-hosted by Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS, Michelle Bachelet, UN Women’s Executive Director, and UNFPA’s Executive Director, Babatunde Osotimehin.

Concerns were expressed about the reported violations of the sexual and reproductive rights of women and girls living with HIV, which impact on their desire to have children, as well as their access to prevention, treatment, care and support. Participants described the experience of some young women living with HIV who face stigma and discrimination when accessing HIV and sexual and reproductive health services. Examples were shared of HIV positive women who were advised not to engage in sexual relationships and scolded when seeking health care when pregnant, which presented a barrier to them accessing prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission and safe delivery services.

Participants identified strategic opportunities to protect and promote sexual and reproductive health and rights, including through improved and sustained investment in women and girls living with HIV. There was consensus that a gender-sensitive AIDS response can help countries move towards universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services and the Millennium Development Goals. This approach is that recommended by UNAIDS and in line with the UNAIDS Agenda for Women and Girls , and the UNAIDS Strategy 2011-2015 .

Arguing for the better integration of HIV in development plans, Dr Nafsiah Mboi, Secretary of the National AIDS Commission, Indonesia emphasized, “HIV is not a health issue, it’s a development issue.”

During the consultation’s opening session, Michel Sidibé spoke of the UNAIDS Strategy and the Agenda for Women and Girls, reinforcing UNAIDS commitment to making gender equality and women’s health and rights a core part of the global AIDS response. He encouraged women and girls living with HIV to raise their voices for social change, despite the risk of stigma, discrimination and social exclusion:

"We must take AIDS out of isolation and provide young girls with opportunities to negotiate their sexual relationships and receive sexuality education so that they can protect themselves from infection,” said Mr Sidibé. “If we don't do this, our vision of zero new infections will remain a dream."

Sharing UN Women’s response to these fundamental issues of gender inequality, Michelle Bachelet contended, "we need to integrate not only services provided but also ongoing political and social movements, including the HIV and women's empowerment movements."

Ms Bachelet also argued that human rights alone is not a sufficient argument for investing in women and HIV, rather, “what is needed is a political, economic and social case.” She also stressed the importance of all involved working together in a coordinated way.

Dr Osotimehin commented on the importance of strengthening the rights of women and girls. “Empowering young people, particularly girls and women, living with HIV to defend their rights and have access to education, information, and services would be a major revolution,” he said.

The outcomes of the discussion will serve as input for the 55^th meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women as well as the 2011 High-Level Meeting on AIDS in June.

Commission on the Status of Women

The 55^th session of the CSW runs until 4 March 2011. Representatives from Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations from all regions of the world are gathered to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement of women worldwide.

The cause of promoting gender equality and meeting the needs of women and girls has taken an historic step forward. A new organization—UN Women—was officially launched yesterday at the UN General Assembly Hall in the presence of leaders from the worlds of politics, entertainment, business and the media.  

The new body aims to provide a dynamic and powerful voice at national, regional and global levels for women’s rights and equality. It is also tasked with ensuring that the UN system lives up to its own commitments to gender equality, making new opportunities for women and girls central to UN programmes.

The launch event, called Honouring the Past – Envisioning the Future for Women and Girls, was hosted by Michelle Bachelet, UN Women’s Executive Director and former President of Chile.

Speakers included UN General Assembly President Joseph Deiss; the President of the UN Women Executive Board and former Foreign Minister of Nigeria, Ambassador Joy Ogwu; Nepalese activist Bandana Rana, and former Commander of the all-female Formed Police Unit in Liberia Rakhi Sahi.

Ms Bachelet told the gathering that the importance of UN Women could not be underestimated as “the neglect of women’s rights means the social and economic potential of half the population is underused.”

“It is no longer acceptable to live in a world where young girls are taken out of school and forced into early marriage, where women’s employment opportunities are limited, and where the threat of gender-based violence is a daily reality—at home, in the street, at school and at work,” she said.

“I look forward to working with UN Women which will be a powerful voice for women and girls and help move the AIDS response forward,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé who attended the event. “By teaming up and working on common goals the AIDS movement and the women’s movement can dramatically reduce the impact of HIV on women and their families.”

Ensuring that women’s needs are met is not only beneficial to women themselves but to society as a whole as untapped potential can be unleashed. However, widespread gender inequality persists as women often face discrimination, are sometimes denied access to education and health services and generally have fewer resources than men. Many women also suffer from violence which can leave them vulnerable to HIV if their ability to make healthy decisions about how to protect themselves against the virus is hampered.

It is hoped that UN Women, with its wide-reaching mandate, will have a dramatic impact on improving the lives of the world’s women.

The following video documentary The journey of women’s rights 1911-2011 was shown at last night’s event.

Women clearing rubble from the streets of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Credit: UN Photo/Sophia Paris

Too often women suffer the worst consequences of war. In certain parts of the world gender-based and sexual violence are increasingly used as a weapon of conflict and are a prevalent characteristic of numerous humanitarian crises. The latest flagship report from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), State of world population 2010, explores the dangerous consequences for women caught in conflict and crisis who are left vulnerable to HIV infection, disabilities, social stigma and psychological trauma. 

The publication of the report, which also highlights many positive actions by individuals, civil society and governments to confront this issue, coincides with the tenth anniversary of Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. The resolution is the United Nation’s Security Council’s challenge to the abuse of women in conflict and their marginalisation in the peace building process.

Subtitled From conflict and crisis to renewal: generations of change, the report examines developments in the 10 years since this key resolution. The report is based on stories from the field in a range of countries that have experienced turmoil and are now on the sometimes rocky road to recovery: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Liberia, Timor-Leste and Uganda.

HIV in crisis situations

The impact of HIV in crisis situations is also explored. Sexual violence makes women vulnerable to HIV infection. The social instability, poverty and powerlessness that often accompany social upheaval and displacement also facilitates HIV transmission with weakening of norms regulating sexual behaviour. 

The report shows how women and young people have overcome difficulties and started to rebuild their lives and their communities. In post-conflict northern Uganda, where a rebel war raged for more than 20 years, young people are working with the local branch of Straight Talk Foundation, a national NGO, which has set up the Gulu Youth Centre. It is now a major provider of sexual and reproductive health care for youth in the area, including HIV counselling and testing. This is a much-needed service for the region's young women as older teenage girls are much more likely to be living with HIV.

Women and men together for peace

There is also recognition that men play a vital role in bringing about positive change. Male traditional leaders in Africa and the Asia-Pacific region are now taking women’s rights and needs into account in decision-making.

Increasingly, women are also elected as local leaders on their own steam and take active part in re-building society in post-conflict situations. For example in Burundi and Nepal, two conflict affected countries, women in civil society have been heralded for their efforts and impact throughout the peace process.

According to the State of world population, concerned people at all levels are searching for ways to build new and healthy societies where women and girls—and men and boys—can flourish.

As Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, UNFPA’s Executive Director, said about the report, “Countries should not just be rebuilt, but built back better and renewed, with women and men on equal footing, with rights and opportunities for all.”

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, HRH Princess Mathilde of Belgium, and UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé in Monrovia 18 October, 2010. Credit: UNAIDS

Following a 14-year civil war, Liberia has faced a host of post-conflict challenges that have increased the vulnerability of women and girls to HIV infection, including gender-related violence, poverty, population displacement and limited access to education and health services.

Women and girls represent 58% of the estimated 36 000 people living with HIV in Liberia. HIV prevalence among young women aged 15-24 is about three times higher than that of young men.

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf—Africa’s first democratically-elected female head of state—today unveiled a national roadmap for improving the health and well-being of women and girls. Launched in collaboration with HRH Princess Mathilde of Belgium, a Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS and UNICEF, Liberia’s new Agenda for accelerating country actions for women, girls, gender equality and HIV aims to:

• Strengthen data collection and analysis to better understand the impact of the HIV epidemic on women and girls in Liberia

• Accelerate access to integrated reproductive and HIV services for women and girls

• Contribute to broader efforts to stop violence against women and girls

Liberia’s national Agenda is based on a global plan developed by UNAIDS and partners to address the gender inequalities and human rights violations that put women and girls at a greater risk of HIV. Speaking at a launch event in Monrovia, President Sirleaf said she was proud that Liberia had been selected as the first country to roll out this national Agenda.

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé, who is on an official visit to Liberia with Princess Mathilde and UNICEF, praised Liberian authorities for placing AIDS and sexual and gender-based violence at the heart of the country’s post-war recovery efforts.

“I congratulate President Sirleaf for embracing this Agenda—for recognizing and supporting your most valuable natural resource: women and girls,” said Mr Sidibé. “Women are the solid centre of human life—of families, communities and care.”

Princess Mathilde focused her remarks on the critical importance of education in solving the nation’s ills. “Education is linked to the well-being of children,” she said. “It gives women the possibility to become economically self sufficient. It gives them the opportunity to decide on matters that concern their own lives. It gives them a voice with which to defend their own interests.”

The three-day joint mission to Liberia, which kicked off today, includes meetings with senior government authorities, associations of people living with HIV, and health and medical providers.

Woman participating in debate in Senegal. Credit: UNAIDS/P.Virot

The Global Power Africa conference opened on September 26 in Washington D.C. The event brought together women Members of Parliament and Ministers from twelve countries in Africa, to develop strategies to support the implementation of the UNAIDS Agenda for Accelerated Country Action for Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV at country level.

The meeting, held within the framework for the regional Partnership Of Women Elected/Appointed Representatives (GlobalPOWER®) program, was convened by UNAIDS in partnership with the Center for Women Policy Studies.

UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Management and External Relations, Ms Jan Beagle, opened the event by highlighting UNAIDS’ commitment to work with parliamentarians on developing strategic and results-oriented National Plans on HIV at country level.

“There is a lot of power in this room,” Ms Beagle remarked. “As women, you have the ability to speak for the marginalized – as Michel Sidibé says; you are the voice of the voiceless.”

Ms Beagle stressed the consensus on the need for women-centered approaches that emerged at the Millennium Development Goal summit held in New York 20-22 September. Participants at the summit underscored that without investments in women the MDGs would not be reached.

According to Ms Beagle, UNAIDS believes in the importance of linking gender to all MDGs, as part of the integration of responses to maximize resources for broader health and development outcomes—the AIDS plus MDGs approach.

“We must work with great diligence and care to elevate the status of women and to successfully reduce the burden of HIV.  Zero new infections!  Zero discrimination!  Zero AIDS-related deaths!,” Ms Beagle said.