The UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé, has completed a five-day visit to three countries in southern Africa. The mission included high-level political discussions, the launch of the Lesotho HIV health and situation room and a frank and open dialogue with women activists about how to address sexual harassment and abuse.

Beginning in Lesotho, Mr Sidibé attended the launch of the HIV health and situation room with the Deputy Prime Minister, Monyane Moleleki. Special guest Naomi Campbell was invited by UNAIDS to join the two-day country visit to learn more about the HIV response.

The Lesotho HIV and health situation room shows real-time service delivery data, producing a comprehensive picture and understanding of Lesotho’s HIV epidemic. It enables quick feedback on results at the national and community levels and identifies bottlenecks in access to health-care services.

“The launch of the Lesotho HIV and health situation room gives us access to data to shape impactful and efficient health programmes. These are the kind of innovations that will bring services to those who need them most and ensure that no one is left behind by the AIDS response,” said Michel Sidibé, the UNAIDS Executive Director.

On the eve of the launch, Mr Sidibé and Ms Campbell visited the Queen II Hospital in Maseru, Lesotho, and met with young women living with HIV and others affected by the epidemic.

“I commend the Government of Lesotho and its partners for the progress made in the AIDS response. But the work is far from done. The reality is that we are not reaching adolescent girls and young women. I leave Lesotho today empowered, inspired, encouraged and determined to do all I can to highlight this critical issue,” said Ms Campbell.

In South Africa, Mr Sidibé addressed the Pan African Parliament and underlined the importance of integrated health approaches that were people-centred. He urged parliamentarians to commit more domestic funding for health services to increase the sustainability of the AIDS response and to put in place more preventative measures to improve people’s health. In addition, he called for laws to protect women and vulnerable groups. 

Mr Sidibé left the parliamentary session to meet civil society activists concerned by UNAIDS' response to allegations of sexual harassment and abuse in the organization.

At a follow-up meeting the next day, Mr Sidibé and women activists met to discuss their concerns.

Mr Sidibé agreed with activists to issue a statement following the meeting. The statement begins:

‘During my recent visit to South Africa, I listened carefully to you, I heard you. The HIV epidemic is inextricably linked to sexual and gender-based violence and the two can never be separated. We need the passion of advocates to move issues forward.`

During his visit to South Africa, Mr Sidibé held separate meetings with the President, Cyril Ramaphosa, the Deputy President and South African National AIDS Council Chair, David Mabuza, and the Minister of Health, Aaron Motsoaledi. They discussed plans to increase the number of people on treatment by 2 million by 2020 and the need to empower local and provincial authorities to bring treatment and prevention services closer to vulnerable communities.

The last leg of Mr Sidibé’s visit saw him arrive in Lusaka, Zambia, to confer the 2018 UNAIDS Leadership Award upon Kenneth Kaunda for his efforts in strengthening the AIDS response.  

Around the world, many women, children and adolescents still have little or no access to quality health services and education, clean air and water, adequate sanitation and good nutrition. And far too many face violence and discrimination, unequal access to power and opportunity, and numerous barriers that harm their physical, mental and emotional health and well-being.

To accelerate change, the executive heads of the H6 partnership met on the sidelines of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board in London, United Kingdom, on 2 May and agreed a new results framework, H6 Results 2020. H6 Results 2020 aims to shape the H6 partnership into a trusted, valued source for technical support, strategic policy advice and best practices for the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents.

Developed under the chairpersonship of UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé, H6 Results 2020 is closely aligned with the Every Woman Every Child Every Adolescent Global Strategy and the 2020 Every Woman Every Child Partners’ Framework. H6 Results 2020 sets ambitious goals while committing to deliver on a number of concrete results for 2020.

“I am excited about our revitalized H6 partnership. As the technical arm of the Every Woman Every Child movement, we plan to further streamline and simplify the health architecture, coordinating with key partners to leverage political capital, technical expertise and advocacy for results for women, children and adolescents everywhere,” said Mr Sidibé.

Taking forward the vision endorsed by the executive heads in March 2018, H6 Results 2020 builds on the achievements of the H6 to date and reinforces existing mechanisms while strengthening United Nations mechanisms to support countries. It outlines how the H6 will harmonize efforts of the six H6 organizations and with key partners at the country, regional and global levels and will focus on the countries with the highest burdens of maternal, child and adolescent mortality and morbidity for intensified action.

“The H6 partnership plays a critical role in ensuring that countries focus on the health needs of women in an intersectional way, with laser-like focus on gender equality, human rights and other enablers, such as education,” said Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the Executive Director of UN Women.

By amplifying its added value, the H6 partnership seeks to serve as a living laboratory for United Nations reform—heeding the call of the United Nations Secretary-General for a more country-focused, coordinated, efficient and accountable development system better able to assist countries in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

“It is important that the United Nation comes together to focus its technical support on key priorities in a few high-burden countries, and what must drive our focus is results for people,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization.

While committed to driving progress across a range of priorities for women, children and adolescent health, H6 Results 2020 puts clear emphasis on reaching adolescents. Adolescent girls and boys (aged 10–19 years) remain a particularly underserved population by the health and social programmes of many countries. Ensuring the health and well-being of adolescents is critical to delivering on the mandate of each of the H6 partners.

“The H6 partnership has proven that working in close collaboration and bringing different expertise and experience to the table is not only effective in enabling countries to deliver rights-based quality care for the women and girls left furthest behind, but also ensures strong country ownership,” said Natalia Kanem, the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund.

The H6 combines the strengths of six international organizations to help countries to realize the United Nations Secretary-General’s Every Woman Every Child strategy. The partnership mobilizes political commitment and resources to transform societies so that women, children and adolescents can realize their rights to the highest attainable standards of health and well-being.

High-level representatives of the six organizations met in New York, United States of America, to shape a shared vision for the H6. During the meeting, which took place on 21 March, health leaders committed to jointly deliver more and faster results in countries.

The Chair of the H6, Michel Sidibé, shared his vision for the partnership, including how it can evolve to meet the demands of the Sustainable Development Goals, including in humanitarian settings, and be a leading platform to advance United Nations reform.

“As a transformative platform, I see the H6 as an outstanding opportunity to rapidly bring United Nations reform to life and deliver results for every woman, child and adolescent on the ground,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS.

The participants were united in their ambition to make the H6 a one-stop shop for countries for strategic policy advice, technical assistance and strategic information. Adolescent health, particularly for 10–18-year-olds, was discussed as a key focus area.

“I see an effective H6 partnership as an important way to drive health impact at the country level for all children, including by better addressing gaps in services for the age group from 10 to18 years old, and by planting the seeds of development in humanitarian contexts,” said Henrietta Fore, the Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund.

The participants also committed to ensure policy-making in which communities have a voice and decided to build innovative partnerships with stakeholders beyond the United Nations.

Enhanced transparency and accountability of the H6 and reducing fragmentation and duplication in the United Nations system, as well as between the United Nations and the World Bank, will be key to success, as will a strong focus on joint reporting of results. The H6 will also work in close collaboration with the Global Financing Facility and the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health.

“The United Nations Population Fund is strongly committed to the H6 partnership, which has proven that working in close collaboration and bringing different expertise and experience to the table is not only effective in enabling countries to deliver quality care for the women and girls left furthest behind, but also ensures strong country ownership,” said Natalia Kanem, the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund.

The H6 principals will now develop a results framework and reconvene in May to review and endorse it. They are aiming to adopt a road map to roll out new ways of working by mid-year.

A new index to measure levels of homophobia that can show the impact that homophobia has on countries has been developed.

Homophobia—defined here as any negative attitude, belief or action towards people of differing sexual orientation or gender identity—has long been known to affect public health. Gay men and other men who have sex with men who face stigma are more likely to engage in sexual risk behaviours, are less likely to adhere to antiretroviral therapy and have lower HIV testing rates. Knowledge of levels of homophobia, especially in low- and middle-income countries, is scant, however.

The new index, published in the European Journal of Public Health, combines both data on institutional homophobia, such as laws, and social homophobia—relations between people and groups of people. Data for the index were taken from a wide range of sources, including from the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. More than 460 000 people were asked questions on their reactions to homosexuality through regionwide surveys that were also used as sources for the index.

The Homophobic Climate Index gives estimates for 158 countries. Western Europe was found to be the most inclusive region, followed by Latin America. Africa and the Middle East were the regions with the most homophobic countries, with the exceptions of South Africa and Cabo Verde, which were among the top 10 most inclusive low- and middle-income countries. Among low- and middle-income countries, Colombia was the most inclusive, and Sweden was the most inclusive of all countries.

From comparing the results of the index with other data, the researchers found that countries with higher levels of homophobia were the same countries that face higher levels of gender inequality, human rights abuses, low health expenditures and low life satisfaction. Increases in a country’s Homophobic Climate Index were found to be associated with a loss of male life expectancy and a lower economic output.

The index therefore shows the damaging effects that homophobia has on the lives and well-being of everyone in a county, not just gay men and other men who have sex with men. “This index provides communities with sound data that can help them in their advocacy for more inclusive societies,” said Erik Lamontagne, Senior Economist Adviser at UNAIDS.

With knowledge of the harmful effects of homophobia, countries will be in a much better position to respond to it and improve the lives of all.

During the Global Partnership for Education meeting on 2 February, hosted by Senegal and France, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé discussed the importance of education and health. “Integrating education and health is key for our success in controlling the epidemic among young people. Without effective, quality and sustainable health and education systems we are failing young people”, Mr Sidibé said. Credit: UNAIDS/B. Deméocq.

The First Lady of Senegal, Marieme Faye Sall, and the First Lady of France, Brigitte Macron, inaugurate a cardio-paediatric centre that provides surgical treatment for children affected by cardiologic diseases. The centre, funded by the Cuomo Foundation in Monaco, supports women and children in Senegal. Credit: UNAIDS.

Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV is crucial, as is community involvement, stressed Mr Sidibé during his meeting with Ms Sall. The western and central Africa region lags behind in access to treatment and prevention, which is why UNAIDS and partners launched a western and central Africa catch-up plan. Credit: UNAIDS/B. Deméocq.

Mr Sidibé also met with the Minister of Health and Social Action of Senegal, Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr, stressing that no matter who you are or where you are from, everyone has the right to health, the right to an education, the right to equal opportunities and the right to thrive. Credit: UNAIDS/B. Deméocq.

The Secretary General of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, Michaëlle Jean, will raise the issue of counterfeit medicines at the upcoming World Health Assembly in May. Credit: UNAIDS/B. Deméocq.

Minister of International Development of Norway, Nikolai Astrup, and Mr Sidibé met on the sidelines of the meeting. Credit: UNAIDS/B. Deméocq.

Mr Sidibé, along with the Ambassador of Luxembourg, Nicole Bintner. Luxembourg has been an active participant and donor in the western and central Africa catch-up plan. Credit: UNAIDS/B. Deméocq.

Good health enables a girl to thrive, to grow, to think, to explore and to contribute to her community. Knowledge of how to stay healthy and access to quality health services enable her to prevent illness, to eat well, to manage her sexual health, to have healthy babies when and if she chooses to and to nurture her own well-being. Education and health are two of the most transformative elements of a girl’s life. Credit: UNAIDS/B. Deméocq.

To galvanize joint action to end the epidemic of violence against women and girls, the African Women Ambassadors to the United Nations in Geneva and UNAIDS convened a special event on the eve of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and to kick off 16 Days of Activism.

The event, held on 24 November in UNAIDS’ headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, was attended by more than 35 ambassadors to the United Nations in Geneva.

Interspersed with music originating from all corners of the world performed by pianist Layla Ramezan, the speakers spoke from diverse perspectives, both international and local.

The speakers emphasized that more than one in three (35%) women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime and that, in some regions, women who are subjected to intimate partner violence are on average 1.5 times more likely to acquire HIV. Yet, according to the World Bank, 18 of 107 countries examined had no domestic violence legislation, and 45 had no legislation that specifically addresses sexual harassment. Every day, approximately 47 700 girls are married before their 18th birthday. In developing countries, one in every four girls is married before reaching age 18. One in nine is married under age 15, while an adolescent girl dies from violence every 10 minutes somewhere in the world.

Many also spoke about the importance of people, not numbers. They noted that the painful stories of women and girls facing violence must be shared, and breaking the cycle of violence is critical for achieving gender equality. The role of new technologies in perpetuating ancient injustices was emphasized and a powerful call was made for everyone to take action, whether calling out violence or harassment or speaking about it with family and friends.

The event concluded with a silent auction to raise funds for the African Women Ambassadors Fellowship Programme to support and empower young African women in international development and policy-making.

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The International Day of the Girl Child, marked every year on 11 October, highlights and addresses the needs and challenges that girls face, while promoting their empowerment and human rights.

In many parts of the world, one of the key challenges that adolescent girls face is HIV. Globally, every week 6900 adolescent girls and young women aged 15–24 years are newly infected with HIV, yet only one in three adolescent girls and young women have comprehensive and correct knowledge of how to prevent HIV. In sub-Saharan Africa, three in four new HIV infections among 15–19-year-olds are among girls.

The theme of the International Day of the Girl Child 2017 is “EmPOWER girls: before, during and after crises”. War and conflict exacerbate the vulnerability of girls to child marriage, intensify inequality and make women and girls susceptible to both household and intimate partner violence, all of which increase the vulnerability of women and girls to HIV.

Women who experience intimate partner violence can be 50% more likely to acquire HIV than those who do not experience such violence. And adolescent girls are more vulnerable to intimate partner violence—in 22 of 32 countries with available data, young women experienced more recent intimate partner violence than older women.

International human rights obligations and the bold targets of the 2016 United Nations Political Declaration on Ending AIDS call for ending all forms of violence against women and girls, including in conflict, post-conflict and humanitarian settings. Only through promoting gender equality, eliminating violence and investing in girls empowerment together with the other targets in the Political Declaration will the world be on track to ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. 

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The health and well-being of women, children and adolescents are central to building peaceful, sustainable and inclusive societies. This is why in 2010 the then United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, launched Every Woman Every Child, a global movement to mobilize and intensify action by governments, multilateral organizations, the private sector and civil society to address the major health challenges facing women, children and adolescents around the world.

Showing his support for these efforts, on 21 April United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres became the third and senior Co-Chair of Every Woman Every Child, alongside the President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, and the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Desalegn. The announcement was made at a meeting of the Every Woman Every Child steering group, held on the margins of the spring meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund.

Every Woman Every Child unites its partners to deliver on an integrated agenda for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health and well-being. It also puts into action a Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, a road map to ending all preventable deaths of women, children and adolescents within a generation and ensuring their well-being.

The core partners of Every Woman Every Child include the H6 (UNAIDS, the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Children’s Fund, UN Women, the World Health Organization and the World Bank Group), the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, the Global Financing Facility in support of Every Woman Every Child and the Every Woman Every Child Innovation Marketplace.

Over the past seven years, the movement has galvanized ambitious action and coordinated efforts across sectors. Since 2015, more than 60 country commitments and 150 multistakeholder commitments totalling more than US$ 27 billion have been made by the partners of Every Woman Every Child to deliver on the promises of a sustainable future for all by 2030.

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