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Regional teams of UNAIDS in Southern and Eastern Africa have explored how health services can be improved for women who experience sexual and physical violence during crisis and conflict situations (supported by the Global Coalition, WHO, UNDP and UNAIDS). Hide

As one of its key action areas, the Global Coalition on Women and AIDS advocates for strategies to halt violence against women and to address the linkages between violence and HIV transmission and access to services; promotes the right of women to have control over and decide freely and responsibly on matters related to their sexuality, free of coercion, discrimination and violence; and calls for greater action to address gender-based and sexual violence, including in conflict and post-conflict settings. The link between violence against women and HIV has been featured as an important part of UNAIDS advocacy messages and was the subject of the November 2005 Issues Brief for use with policy makers. Hide

UNAIDS works closely with its co-sponsors (WHO, UNPFA, UNICEF), and partners (UNIFEM, Amnesty International, the Centre for Women’s Global Leadership, and others) to better understand and document the linkages between violence against women and AIDS. Hide

On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2007, the United Nations system celebrated with a panel presentation and discussion, exhibition, and film screening on the global theme of ‘Ending impunity for violence against women’. The Executive Secretary of ESCAP and Executive Director of UNAIDS called for universal respect for women’s human rights and an end to all forms of violence against women and impunity. Copies of the Secretary-General’s study were widely distributed. Hide

Recent fundraising efforts by UNAIDS and the Global Coalition on Women and AIDS helped establish a window in the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women, managed by UNIFEM, to support and document promising interventions on violence against women and AIDS. Private sector donations have contributed towards year two of the HIV window in the Trust Fund.UNAIDS, together with WHO, the Global Coalition on Women and AIDS and other partners, has also formed a technical working group to propose recommendations on how to improve attention to violence within the national AIDS response and how to strengthen the linkages between AIDS programmes and programmes and services focusing on women's rights and violence against women. Hide

UNAIDS is working with partners to clarify linkages and effective programmes on violence and HIV in emergency affected populations. A number of activities, funded by Department for International Development (UK), were carried out, including:- A review, in collaboration with WHO, of epidemiological evidence of the links between HIV and gender-based violence in emergency settings- Participation in UN Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict, a global initiative on gender-based violence in emergency settings- Support to regional task forces on gender-based violence in emergency settings- Collaboration with WHO in building capacity in the clinical management of sexual violence in emergencies- Collaboration with FAO on building the capacities for addressing underlying causes of transactional sex. Hide

As follow-up to Security Council resolutions 1308 and 1325 (2000), the UNAIDS Office of Security and Humanitarian Response is providing support to strengthen HIV/AIDS education within international peacekeeping operations. It also assists countries to strengthen their HIV/AIDS responses for national uniformed services, including through the development of a training manual, which includes a section on coercion and sexual violence. Hide