Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS

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

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

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

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