Subject: [fem-women2000 676] Women's GlobalNet #172: "Women in the Forefront of the Battle against HI
From: iwtc <iwtc@iwtc.org>
Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2001 17:25:13 +0000
Seq: 676

IWTC WOMEN'S GLOBALNET #172
Initiatives and Activities of Women Worldwide
By Anne S. Walker and Kirsten Isgro

July 10, 2001

"WOMEN IN THE FOREFRONT OF THE BATTLE AGAINST HIV/AIDS" SAYS KOFI ANNAN, 
AS UN HIV/AIDS SPECIAL SESSION CONCLUDES.  

OUTCOME AND UPDATE:
The United Nations (UN) General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on 
HIV/AIDS - entitled "Global Crisis宥lobal Action"- was held from 25-27 
June 2001 in New York. This marked the first time the UN had ever held a 
Special Session on a specific health-related matter and more than 3,000 
government officials, activists and business leaders attended. After 
three-days of sometimes animated and often contentious debate, the 
189-member Special Session unanimously adopted the Declaration of 
Commitment, outlining new measures and targets to curb the spread of the 
pandemic and to reduce its impact on societies.  

1. New Targets and Benchmarks Established: 
The Declaration of Commitment identifies prevention, care, support and 
treatment as fundamental elements of an effective response to HIV/AIDS. 
Poverty and funding issues are also addressed as a part of the solution 
to combat the disease.  There are three specific benchmark years 
outlined003, 2005, and 2010葉o establish, implement, and measure 
national targets to achieve global prevention goals. For instance, it 
was agreed that by the year 2005, infection rates are to be reduced by 
25 percent, discrimination is to end by challenging "gender stereotypes 
and attitudes" and inequalities between men and women worldwide, and 
AIDS education is to be provided to 90 percent of young people. 

2. GENDER INEQUALITY FUELING HIV/AIDS PANDEMIC:
In various places throughout the Declaration of Commitment, women and 
girls are identified as those people who are most vulnerable to the AIDS 
pandemic. "Girl power is Africa痴 own vaccine against HIV" said UN 
Secretary-General Kofi Annan, quoting British policy expert Catherine 
Rielly. "If there is one idea that stands out clearly in the document, 
it is that women are in the forefront of this battle." As further 
evidence of the vulnerability of women and girls to HIV/AIDS, the UN 
Fund for Women (UNIFEM) states that: "[Gender inequality] deprives women 
of the ability to say no to risky practices. It also leads to coerced 
sex and sexual violence, keeps women uninformed about prevention, puts 
them last in line for care and life-saving treatment, and imposes an 
overwhelming burden for the care of the sick and dying. Guaranteeing 
women痴 human rights is an indispensable component of the international 
struggle to combat HIV/AIDS." To the dismay of many activists who 
lobbied hard for their inclusion, other vulnerable groups such as sex 
workers, intravenous drug-users, and men who have sex with men, are not 
explicitly mentioned in the final document. 

For more statistics about women and AIDS, see UNIFEM痴 website: 
<http://www.unifem.undp.org>.  

To see a list of the workshops specific to gender, see Women's GlobalNet 
#170 at: <http://www.iwtc.org/170.html>. 

The Declaration of Commitment, along with other statements and documents 
connected with the Special Session can be found at the UNAIDS website: 
<http://www.un.org/ga/aids/coverage>. 

1. NEW AIDS GLOBAL FUND ESTABLISHED:
One of the major goals of the GA Special Session on HIV/AIDs was to 
galvanize leaders around the world to take action through the 
establishment of new, additional and sustained resources.  Between US$7 
billion and $10 billion is needed for the Global AIDS Fund to have any 
chance of halting and reversing the pandemic. For further information, 
read the Fact Sheet on the UNAIDS website at:  
<http://www.un.org/ga/aids/ungassfactsheets/html/fsfund_en.htm> or go to 
the website of the UN Foundation at: 
<http://www.unfoundation.org/index.asp>

OTHER USEFUL RESOURCES:
 
1. The IWTC Women痴 Score Book (March 2001, 6 pages). Charts from this 
booklet can be found online at <http://www.iwtc.org/Charts.html>.  
Broken down by region and country, the charts give statistics and 
indicators for: a) the percentage of adults in each country with 
HIV/AIDS; b) the percentage of that number that are women. If you are 
interested in receiving a copy of the IWTC Women痴 Score Book, please 
contact IWTC or Women, Ink., or order online at: 
<http://www.womenink.org>.

2. "Break-the-Silence" on-line discussion forum. Messages circulated on 
the forum can be found on the Health & Development Network website at:  
<http://www.hdnet.org>.  

3. "Women - Vulnerable but Vital in the Fight Against AIDS",  an article 
by Ofeibea Quist-Arcton of Niomr Senegal, found on the allAfrica.com 
website at: <http://allafrica.com/stories/200107020491.html>. 

SELECTION OF UPCOMING AIDS CONFERENCES: 

AFRICA:
12th International Conference on AIDS and STDs in Africa, 9-13 December 
2001, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

ASIA/PACIFIC:
6th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific, 5-10 October 
2001,  Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

LATIN AMERICA/CARIBBEAN: 
10th International Conference for people living with HIV/AIDS, 27-31 
October 2001, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. 

OTHER MATTERS OF INTEREST:

THE 25th UN/CEDAW SESSION 2-20 July, 2001 in New York.  
The UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination 
Against Women (CEDAW) is currently meeting in New York to review the 
reports of States Parties on their compliance with CEDAW, -also known as 
"the Women痴 Convention". At this session the Committee is considering 
the reports of eight States Parties Andorra, Guinea, Singapore, 
Guyana, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Sweden, and Viet Nam. For daily press 
releases, visit the CEDAW section of the website of the UN Division for 
the Advancement of Women (UN/DAW) at: 
<http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw>. 

NEW BOOKS FROM WOMEN, INK. RELATED TO  HIV/AIDS AND OTHER WOMEN担 HUMAN 
RIGHTS POLICY ISSUES. (See Women痴 GlobalNet #170 for other titles on 
Women and HIV/AIDS)

From Tragedy Towards Hope: Men, Women and the AIDS Epidemic 2001
109 pages. ISBN: 0850926769. US$18.95
by Madhu Bala Nath

Holding on to the Promise: Women's Human Rights and the Beijing+5 Review 
2001, 200 pages. ISBN: 0-9711412-0-7. US$20
by Cynthia Meillon (ed.) in collaboration with Charlotte Bunch

(These books were also featured in the June 2001 Booklink #19) 

IWTC Women's GlobalNet is a production of:

International Women's Tribune Centre
777 United Nations Plaza
3rd  Floor
New York, NY 10017, USA
Tel:  (1-212) 687-8633
Fax: (1-212) 661-2704
Email: <iwtc@iwtc.org>
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WOMEN, INK.
For quality, cutting-edge publications on women and development by, for and about women worldwide, see Women, Ink's 2001 catalogue at : <http://www.womenink.org>. 

Or contact Women, Ink. at 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA.  Tel: Yasna Uberoi (1-212) 687-8633 ext 212 or Mary Wong (1-212) 687-8633 ext 204. Fax: (1-212) 661-2704. E-mail: <wink@womenink.org>

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