WUNRN
Global Women's Survey
in Preparation for High Level UN Session on HIV/AIDS
In preparation of the High Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS to be
held in June of this year, Huairou Commission partner- the ATHENA Network- is
conducting a global survey to ensure that the broadest possible representation
of women infected and affected by HIV/AIDS will be represented. The
findings that the survey produces may be useful at the national, regional, and
international advocacy levels and they will be producing regional summaries of
the findings.
The
High Level Meeting (HLM) on AIDS that will take place in June this
year will review achievements made against the commitments of the United
Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS Declaration of Commitment
of 2001, and the Political Declaration of 2006, and will determine the priority
agenda for work on HIV and AIDS over the next five years, in particular as we
work towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Multiple processes are underway to ensure broad stakeholder engagement and
representation in the outcomes of the Meeting. These include regional civil
society consultations and pre-meetings. (http://www.icaso.org/ungass.html)
The ATHENA Network and the Global Coalition on Women and AIDS (GCWA) are
running a virtual survey in order to ensure the broadest possible engagement
and representation of women (and girls wherever possible) in the processes
leading up to the UN High Level Meeting – especially women living
with and affected by HIV, and other key populations of women who often lack
platforms for priority issues to be raised and heard. The focal areas for the
consultation have been defined by 4 criteria:
a. Centrality to the success of the AIDS response
b. Importance for women, girls, and gender equality
c. Ability to speak to the future, specifically to move us toward realizing the
MDGs
d. Political opportunity to highlight an issue that has not received
adequate attention to date in efforts to address women, girls, and
gender equality in the context of HIV and AIDS
This survey will be sent via various electronic social media to women in all
regions, in English, French, Spanish, Russian, and Arabic. From the responses
we receive, we are seeking to identify regional messages, which can be fed into
the regional consultations being held over the next two months, and
consolidated into 3 to 4 key global asks to feed into the HLM outcome document
by the beginning of April. Clearly, therefore, we will not be able to include
all 10 of the below topic areas among these asks, but hope to determine from
among them the absolute priorities felt by you, women “on the ground”. Beyond
the HLM process, we hope that the findings that the survey produces will be
useful at the national, regional, and international advocacy levels. We will be
producing regional summaries of the findings.