UNAIDS

Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
Item ID
{16D0B900-C949-43B4-9B34-AB2F45928B6A}
UNAgency ID
{3DC912C4-D439-49D3-BF3D-30D6DC4EA541}
Policy Framework
UNAIDS policy position paper: Practical guidelines for intensifying HIV prevention (2007) draws specific attention to the fact that strategies to reduce violence against women are essential to a comprehensive HIV prevention strategy for women.
Background
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is the main advocate for accelerated, comprehensive and coordinated global action on the epidemic. UNAIDS aims to lead, strengthen and support an expanded response to HIV and AIDS that includes preventing transmission of HIV, providing care and support to those already living with the virus, reducing the vulnerability of individuals and communities to HIV and alleviating the impact of the epidemic. The Global Coalition on Women and AIDS is a partnership between United Nations agencies and civil society organizations seeking to call attention and spur action to address the increasing HIV infection rates among women and girls.
Resources
Joint Action for Results: the UNAIDS Outcome Framework 2009-2011

Gender Guidance for National AIDS responses

Mail Address
20, Avenue Appia. CH-1211 Geneva 27. Switzerland
Areas of Work
UNAIDS pays particular attention to the intersections between violence against women and the threat of violence, and HIV prevention, treatment and care for women and girls. The Global Coalition on Women and AIDS strategy covers policy development, research and awareness-raising.

UNAIDS co-sponsors also take a lead on violence against women, particularly WHO, UNFPA, and UNICEF. In May 2009, UNAIDS issued a policy document -- Joint Action for Results: the UNAIDS Outcome Framework 2009-2011 -- which outlines priority action areas in the AIDS response and opportunities to link the AIDS agenda to broader development goals and the MDGs.

One of the priority areas identified for concerted action by UNAIDS and cosponsors is reducing violence against women. The document commits UNAIDS to use its convening role, advocacy and programming resources to reduce sexual and intimate partner violence through appropriate entry points in the AIDS response. UNAIDS is an active partner in the inter-agency initiative UN Action against sexual violence in conflict.
Agency Type
Title
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS

Mar 2012 - Jan 2013 | UN Women;
UNICEF;
UNFPA;
UNAIDS;
WHO

The Violence Against Children Survey part of the Together for Girls Initiative (including UNICEF, UN Women, UNFPA, UNAIDS and WHO as partners) has collected prevalence of and circumstances surrounding violence, targeting females and males aged 13-24, and has already been completed in Kenya, Haiti and Zimbambwe. Results were released in Zimbabwe and Kenya, in May and Novemer 2012, respectively. The results will be released in Haiti, in early 2013.

Mar 2012 - Jan 2013 | UNAIDS

UNAIDS supported countries to collect data and report on the proportion of ever-married or partnered women aged 15-49 who experienced physical or sexual violence from a male intimate partner in the past 12 months. This was reported for the first time in the 2012 UNAIDS Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic http://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/epidemiology/2012/gr2012/20121120_UNAIDS_Global_Report_2012_en.pdf

Mar 2011 - Jan 2012 | UNAIDS

In June 2011, UNAIDS presented the findings of the “Scorecard on Gender Equality in National HIV Responses”, which monitors country-level progress on implementing the UNAIDS Agenda for Women and Girls. As of December 2011, 93 countries reported data which show that less than one fifth (18 of 93) of countries have national data on the intersection between gender-based violence and HIV; and 40% (38 of 93) of countries’ health sector policies address gender-based violence.

Mar 2011 - Jan 2012 | UNAIDS

The UNAIDS Secretariat, together with UN, development partners and civil society, worked to develop a global indicator on “prevalence of recent intimate partner violence”, to raise the political awareness accordingly. The indicator has been included in the Global AIDS Response Progress Reporting for 2012 to enable national reporting on violence in the context of HIV.

Jul 2007 | UNAIDS

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.

Feb 2008 - Sept 2008 | UNAIDS

UNAIDS undertook two reviews focusing on violence against women and AIDS: (1) a review of the gender policies of the three major AIDS financing institutions – the World Bank, the US President’s Emergency Planfor AIDS relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) – with a view towards strengthening harmonization and coordination of approaches; and (2) a review of over 50 national strategic plans on AIDS to ascertain the degree to which gender issues were integrated.

Oct 2010 - Feb 2011 | UNAIDS

Awareness on gender-based violence and livelihoods was raised through a documentary produced by UNAIDS “Empowered over their fields, empowered over their lives, food security response to HIV and gender inequities” (http://vimeo.com/14921424 or http://www.fao.org/emergencies/current-focus/hiv-aids-and-emergencies/en/), a brochure http://www.fao.org/docrep/012/al315e/al315e00.pdf and several articles in FAO Dimitra newsletter and IRIN Media Centre (Kenya: growing self-esteem at farm schools (IRIN)) http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=89179).