ICW and GCWA Express Concerns about the UNAIDS Strategy Process at the Recent Multi Stakeholder Meeting Geneva

Press Releases

Subscribe to ICW Press Releases RSS Feed RSS

ICW and GCWA Express Concerns about the UNAIDS Strategy Process at the Recent Multi Stakeholder Meeting Geneva

Released date: 08-May-2015

During the UNAIDS Global Multi Stakeholder Consultation, April 22-23, 2015 ICW and GCWA consider women’s voices and perspectives were insufficiently represented
and both groups express their concerns in the intervention made by Jessica Whitbread from ICW critizising the lack of focus on women and girls in the
current documents and discussions leading up to the UNAIDS 2016–2021 Strategy.

We sincerely hope that the international community will assist us in reiterating that the women and girls in all their diversity (inclusive of trans* women
and those labeled female at birth) need to be at the heart of the HIV response in the upcoming UNAIDS Strategy. Please send your emails to the UNAIDS
Team guiding the Strategy 2016–2020 Process expressing the need to ensure that women and girls are not left behind: Kent Bruse at [email protected]
and Chris Collins at [email protected]

“First, I want to thank Michel Sidibe for showing leadership by acknowledging the shortfalls in regards to women and girls in the current document. We
also want to thank PCB member Laurel Sprague for a very moving opening speech.

Consultations are very valuable and essential to ensuring that the UNAIDS strategy is effective in achieving its ambitious goals.

However, ICW and the GCWA are deeply concerned about the complete lack of focus on women and girls in the documents and discussions in the lead up to the
UNAIDS 2016-2021 strategy. Women and girls are simply missing from the discussion, missing from the targets and sub targets. History is repeating itself.

We have completely lost confidence in a process that could result in the adoption of the 90 90 90 targets and a strategy that simply and profoundly ignores
the needs of women and girls – inclusive of trans* women and assigned female at birth. At this point in the HIV response it is unacceptable.

A focus on women and girls is absolutely essential to addressing the gender disparities that continue to drive the HIV epidemic. The oversight is not just
problematic it is dangerous.

Women and girls – with a special emphasis on young women and adolescents must be recognized as a key population as we make up over 50% of the people living
with HIV and in the African context the vast majority are women. As we know these numbers sky rocket when we look at young women and adolescent girls.

So ICW and GCWA asks you – what is UNAIDS going to do to address this complete oversight. Something must be done because we need to KEEP WOMEN ON THE AGENDA.”

For more information please contact:

Jessica Whitbread ([email protected])

ICW, Community Relations and Mobilization Manager

Mabel Bianco ([email protected])

GCWA, Chair

Press Kit

ICW Global Identity Collection
Press Release Material


< View all press releases

Newsletter Sign Up

Get the latest news in your inbox!

Captcha Image

I would like to subscribe to ICW Global:

Newsletters (which include a monthly updates, a weekly Global Fund bulletin and other occasional updates)

Press Releases

Donation

Your gift will help ICW continue its important work supporting and empowering women and girls living with HIV around the world.