WUNRN
Via International Women's Tribune
Centre - IWTC
Support
to women's HIV/AIDS programs and policies are especially important because of
the feminization of the epidemic - over 50% of the adults living with HIV today
are women.
The
UN Secretary-General released a stock-taking report on the execution of the
Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, which notes that of the 80% of countries
that now have women-focused policies, only 53% provide these programs with
budgeted support.
______________________________________________________________
GOVERNMENTS FAIL TO MEET HIV/AIDS
GOALS FOR WOMEN
Women's organizations from around the world held a strong presence at the
United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on HIV/AIDS in New
York where 147 governments convened, from June 9 to 11, to report on their
progress in accomplishing global, national and regional goals that are to be
met by 2010 to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS. These targets and priorities were
agreed upon in the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS that was adopted by
189 countries during a previous UNGASS on HIV/AIDS in 2001. The declaration
outlines priority areas for international action such as leadership,
prevention, treatment, human rights, and resources needed to fund a successful
response to the epidemic. It contains 66 goals, 12 of which specifically refer
to the intersection between gender inequality and HIV/AIDS, including
commitments to decrease women's vulnerability to HIV infection by eliminating
all forms of discrimination against women, including violence against women and
girls; creating national strategies to promote women's human rights; empowering
women; and providing gender-based health care and health services. The
declaration also requires UN Member States to submit country reports every two
years and those that were presented at this June meeting will be used to inform
the 2008 UNAIDS report on the global epidemic that will be launched at the
all-important XVII International AIDS Society Conference that will be held in
August 2008 in Mexico City. The next UN High-Level meeting on this topic will
be held in 2011.
HIV/AIDS FUNDING GAPS & BURDEN OF CARE AMONG CRITICAL ISSUES FOR
WOMEN
Women's organizations highlighted the fact that goals set out for women and
HIV/AIDS in the Declaration of Commitment remain partially or completely
unfulfilled by many governments and that there has been more rhetoric than
action. Further, there are serious gaps in funding that prevent full
implementation of these goals for the progress of women. For example, one of
the goals stipulates that governments implement national strategies that
promote the advancement of women and women's full enjoyment of all human
rights. However, earlier this year the Secretary-General released a
stock-taking report on the execution of the Declaration of Commitment, which
notes that of the 80% of countries that now have women-focused policies, only
53% provide these programs with budgeted support.
Full Report:
http://data.unaids.org/pub/report/2008/20080429_sg_progress_report_en.pdf
.
Support to women's programs and policies are especially important because of
the feminization of the epidemic - over 50% of the adults living with HIV today
are women. Over the past two years, the number of women and girls infected with
HIV has increased in every region of the world, with rates rising particularly
rapidly in Eastern Europe, Asia, and Latin America. In sub-Saharan Africa,
women and girls already make up almost 60% of adults living with HIV. At UNGASS
women's organizations highlighted a number of concerns and themes, including:
(a) Funding
The consistent lack of financing for gender-based HIV/AIDS programs was
emphasized, as well as the infrequent inclusion of women, particularly those
living with HIV/AIDS, in decision-making and policymaking around the epidemic.
Women also emphasized that the current gender-based approach to HIV is too
narrow and must be changed to reflect the realities of women's lives. The World
YWCA, UNIFEM, Global Coalition on Women and AIDS, Church World Service and Women
Won't Wait, took on the issue of funding in a side event.
(b) Sexual & Reproductive Health and Rights
A project called the UNGASS AIDS Forum, which brought together delegates from
the Global South before the meeting to discuss advancements made on sexual and
reproductive health and rights and HIV/AIDS, came to UNGASS with a strong and
unified position on the inclusion of sexual and reproductive health and rights
into HIV policy and advocacy. Participants in this project included women's
groups from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean.
On Friday June 6, representatives of participating groups came together for a
pre-UNGASS meeting to share findings on the status of UNGASS goals on sexual
and reproductive health in the Global South. The demand for the inclusion of
sexual and reproductive health and rights into the HIV/AIDS response was
reflected in the discourse of civil society throughout the official meeting.
(c) Burden of Treatment and Care
Other issues pushed by women's groups at UNGASS included the need for HIV/AIDS
advocacy and programs that place more emphasis on women's autonomy and
providing the tools necessary for women to be active participants in reversing
the epidemic. They also asserted that governments must recognize that the
burden of treatment and care for infected people disproportionately falls to
women and adequate support must be given to women taking on this
responsibility.
WOMEN
DEMAND ACTION AND ACCOUNTABILITY NOW
A document entitled "Women Demand Action and Accountability Now!" was
drawn up at the conference and presented to participating governments to
strengthen women's groups' demands. It pushed for governments to ensure access
to treatment, prevention, care and support services for women and girls;
gender-driven budgeting; improved monitoring and evaluation of action on women
and HIV/AIDS; strengthening of the evidence base on the intersection between
gender inequality and HIV/AIDS; and greater focus on frequently invisible
groups of women. It called for an articulate and clear policy framework giving
priority to violence against women and girls, HIV/AIDS and their
inter-linkages; promotion and protection of the human rights of sex workers and
drug users; ensuring the rights of human rights defenders; ensuring the freedom
of movement of people living with HIV/AIDS; guaranteeing sexual and
reproductive health and rights; women's empowerment; and the greater
involvement of women living with HIV/AIDS.
The document was signed by sixty organizations and can be found at: http://www.ua2010.org/en/UNGASS/Press-Centre/Women-Demand-Action-and-Accountability-Now