World YWCA attends the 27th UNAIDS PCB Meeting
UNAIDS Action Framework: addressing women, girls, gender equality and HIV
The 27th meeting of the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) is taking place in Geneva from December 6 – 8, 2010. Important items on the agenda of this meeting are the UNAIDS Strategy 2011 – 2015, AIDS Security and Humanitarian Response, Universal Access, among others. The PCB also includes a thematic day on December 8 that focuses on Food and nutrition: how to ensure food and nutrition security are integral parts of HIV programming.
On the first day of the PCB, December 6, UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé presented his report to the PCB and spoke about “ Value for money: now more than ever.” World YWCA SRHR and HIV Coordinator, Sophie Dilmitis, participated in the PCB meeting, and reported that the “PCB is a challenging but important space to define the work of UNAIDS. It is always interesting to see which governments support or block various HIV decisions that lead to positive or negative health outcomes for women.”
Also on this PCBs agenda is Gender Sensitivity in the AIDS response. In June 2009, the PCB requested Michel Sidibé, to provide his leadership to develop an operational plan to implement the UNAIDS Action Framework: Addressing women, girls, gender equality and HIV. On December 7, the PCB discussed the report on this work since its launching at the Commission on the Status of Women in February 2009.
Under this agenda item an intervention was made on behalf of the International Community of Women Living with HIV ICW-Global, the International Women’s Health Coalition, the International AIDS Women’s Caucus, the World YWCA, Gestos, the World AIDS Campaign, and the Foundation for Research and Studies on Women.
This intervention outlined many points such as, for example, “the Executive Director has shown a strong commitment and leadership on creating the Agenda for Women and Girls. This kind of political will is fundamental to the implementation of the Agenda at country levels, as women must be comprehensively prioritised in both the AIDS and human rights responses.”
UNAIDS must support and involve women-lead service and delivery programmes, comprehensive sexuality education programmes that empower girls and women, inclusive of those living with HIV and AIDS who experience unique and expanded challenges. Addressing the issues of women into the AIDS response will tie into the success of achieving universal access to prevention and treatment.
After much discussion, the PCB agreed to the following decision points on the UNAIDS Action Framework: Addressing women, girls, gender equality and HIV agenda:
7.1 Requests UNAIDS to identify, by the date of the UN High Level Meeting in 2011, the projected resources needed for further country roll-out of the UNAIDS Agenda for Women and Girls in a representative set of countries;
7.2 Requests UNAIDS to ensure that the new unified budget and accountability framework indicators and budgetary allocations in relation to the UNAIDS Outcome Area on meeting the needs of women and girls in line with the Agenda for Accelerated Country Action for Women and Girls;
7.3 Requests UNAIDS, in partnership with national stakeholder to document by December 2011 models of best practices on the collaboration between the AIDS and women’s movements to better understand and address the HIV-specific needs of women and girls, including the promotion and protection of their rights;
7.4 Requests UNAIDS to work in partnership with national stakeholders, women, girls and key populations as defined in the UNAIDS Strategy to promote and facilitate better linkages between sexual and reproductive health, human rights and HIV through support at the country level towards the development of an enabling policy and legal environment, free of stigma and discrimination strengthened health and related systems, and integrated comprehensive health services, for the improved health outcomes of women and girls.
7.5 Requests UNAIDS to report on progress achieved in implementing the Agenda for Accelerated Action on women and girls by country at its 28th meeting.
7.6 Requests UNADIS to include at the Unified Budget and Accountability Framework the integration of Sexual and Reproductive Health services and HIV needs to meet the needs of women and girls and key populations as defined in the UNAIDS strategy.
7.7 Welcome UNAIDS efforts to strengthen the incorporation of comprehensive sexuality education policies and programmes into its strategy. These programs should be implemented in coordination between the education and health authorities and the medical, social and recreational services and include both in and out of school populations including young people in conditions of vulnerability.
7.8 Welcomes UNAIDS efforts and encourages it to further develop partnerships in collaborations with national authorities with organisations and networks that work with men and boys and gender equality to address male gender related obstacles to HIV and sexual and reproductive health services.
UNAIDS is guided by the PCB with representatives from 22 governments from all regions of the world, UNAIDS Cosponsors, and five representatives from nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), including associations of people living with HIV. The PCB meets twice a year to ensure that the priorities and interests of affected people, constituencies and communities are considered in UNAIDS decisions and policies.
Ebony Johnson, from the International Community of Women Living with HIV ICW-Global, made an intervention on behalf of the International Women’s Health Coalition, the International AIDS Women’s Caucus, the World YWCA, Gestos, the World AIDS Campaign, and the Foundation for Research and Studies on Women.
To read the intervention, please see:
