Gender and AIDS

UNDP Focal Points Meeting June 2007

Global Overview

Almost 18 million women living with HIV globally

Steadily increasing proportion of women living with HIV – rising from 35% in 1985 to 48% in 2006

Young women are particularly impacted – girls aged 15-24 make up 76% of young people with HIV

Marginalized and vulnerable groups (e.g. sex work, MSM, IDU) have limited access to HIV prevention, treatment and care services

The Epidemic, Europe & the CIS

1.7 million people living with HIV in 2006 Over 500,000 women aged 15+ living with HIV

(30%) Proportion of women living with HIV increasing

Increasing % of infections due to unprotected sex (37% in 2005)

In 2005, 41% of new infections reported in women

In Ukraine, 46% of infections in women

Gender Inequality Fuels Spread of HIV

Why are women more vulnerable? Social, economic and legal inequities Lower social status, gender stereotypes, gender-based

violence Biologically more vulnerable Reduced access to information, education and economic

opportunities Low-emphasis on female-oriented prevention methods High risk situations: trafficking of women and girls, sex work,

women injecting drugs, partners of IDUs

Disempowerment of women and girls Limit women’s ability to negotiate safer sexual relations Make it more difficult for women to cope with impact of AIDS

Impact of AIDS Heightened impact of AIDS on women and

girls because of their care giving roles in families

Burden of providing care impacts women’s and girls’ economic and educational opportunities

Women living with HIV tend to face greater stigma than men

AIDS Deepens Gender Inequality

Prioritize funding for social mobilization campaigns to protect and promote AIDS-related rights and eliminate stigma and discrimination.

Increase funding for programmes to address gender inequalities that fuel the epidemic, reform and enforce legislation to protect women and girls from harmful traditional practices and from sexual violence in and outside marriage and ensure equality in domestics relations, including in respect of property and inheritance.

Establish and enforce legislation and policies to eliminate AIDS-associated stigma and discrimination against PLHIV, IDUs, sex workers, MSM and other vulnerable populations.

Universal Access by 2010Protect and promote human rights of PLHIV, women and children, and people in vulnerable groups, and ensure they are centrally involved in all aspects of response.

2006 Political Declaration on AIDSAdopted by the General Assembly

“Commit ourselves to strengthening legal, policy, administrative and other measures for the promotion and protection of women’s full enjoyment of all human rights and the reduction of their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS through the elimination of all forms of discrimination, as well as all types of sexual exploitation of women, girls and boys, including for commercial reasons, and all forms of violence against women and girls, including harmful traditional and customary practices, abuse, rape and other forms of sexual violence, battering and trafficking in women and girls”

UNDP’s Lead Role

UNDP leads gender response under Division of Labour

UNDP-UNIFEM partnership to support lead role

All Cosponsors must address gender-dimensions of AIDS through their lead role

UNDP responsible for: Coordinating and facilitating UNAIDS technical

support Identifying gaps, advising country-level

stakeholders, and stimulating demand Establishing regional support for delivery at

country-level Integrating gender in all aspects of UNDP’s work

on AIDS

Addressing Gender-dimensions of AIDS

Gender Equality Empowering women and girls to reduce vulnerability and

mitigate impact Involving men as full partners to address gender-inequality

Human Rights, Stigma and Discrimination Promoting human rights values and enabling legal

frameworks Creating an environment respectful of rights of women and

men affected by HIV and vulnerable groups (MSM, IDU, sex workers)

Involvement of Women Living with HIV and Capacity Building

Supporting meaningful involvement of women and men living with HIV in design, implementation and monitoring of programmes

Building capacity of women’s organizations (and groups representing vulnerable populations) to address HIV and provide gender-expertise to national AIDS responses

Sensitizing AIDS experts and policy-makers to gender-dimensions fuelling HIV

Reducing Vulnerability of Women and Girls Creating platforms to address gender inequality

fueling HIV, gender-based violence and harmful practices

Increasing information and empowering women and girls to protect themselves from infection

Promoting access to HIV prevention services for women and girls

Gender-sensitive programming and transformative interventions to reduce risk and vulnerability

Engaging men as champions for gender-equality and women’s empowerment

Integrating gender-dimensions of AIDS in national policies, plans and implementation processes

Mitigating the Impact on Women and Girls

Providing treatment, care and support services for women affected by AIDS

Reducing the burden of care on women by promoting and advocating value for care – recognizing monetary value of care and unpaid work

Working with policy-makers and local government to reinforce government and CSO capacity to deliver social services – to reduce burden of care on women

Increasing access to economic and educational opportunities for women/households affected by AIDS, micro-credit/finance

Building organizational and leadership capacities of networks and groups of women living with HIV

Examples of UNDP’s Work

Advocacy with Media and ArtistsPromoting empowering messages relating to people living with HIV and women to reduce stigma and discrimination and transform negative stereotypes and perception

Strengthening Capacity of Networks of people living with HIVIn all regions, UNDP has partnered closely with CSO networks and organizations of women and living with HIV to support their involvement in the response to HIV at all levels

Outreach to Vulnerable PopulationsReducing marginalization of vulnerable populations: Several initiatives have involved outreach to IDUs and men who have sex with men to reduce vulnerability and promote access to services

Examples of UNDP’s Work

Trafficking of Women Reducing vulnerability of women and girls due to trafficking and unsafe mobility in South Asia: Working with Ministries and source and destination communities to sensitize on vulnerability to trafficking and HIV and to support reintegration of trafficking survivors

Women’s Inheritance and Property RightsProtecting and promoting women’s rights to inheritance and property: UNDP-UNIFEM initiative launched to build capacity of countries to bridge the gap between law and practice

Community ConversationsAddressing harmful norms and practices fueling HIV through open dialogue at community level: Several communities in Ethiopia banned FGM as a result of Community Conversations