Gender Division

UNAIDS calls for rights, equality and empowerment for all women and girls on International Women’s Day

Ahead of International Women’s Day, 8 March, UNAIDS calls for renewed efforts in support of gender equality to facilitate increased and accelerated access to HIV services for women and girls.

UNAIDS calls for an end to violence against women and girls. No excuses

UNAIDS remains committed to working collaboratively with governments, business, civil society, communities and especially women’s movements and networks to create a world where the rights and dignity of all women and girls are respected and protected, including women and girls living with, at risk of and affected by HIV.

He was speaking to a group of community, government, research and development partners from Cambodia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines who met from November 11 – 12 in Bangkok. They reviewed findings from a DVR acceptability and feasibility

PrEP for her: Cambodia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines prepare to introduce the Dapivirine ring to help prevent HIV

The Dapivirine Vaginal Ring or DVR was given the green light by the World Health Organization for women at high risk of contracting HIV in 2021. Unlike other types of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), this one is exclusively for women. It is a silicone vaginal ring that is inserted and worn for 28 days before being replaced. It releases an antiretroviral drug locally, reducing the risk of HIV infection through vaginal sex by half.

New long-acting HIV prevention options for women and girls in an era of choice

New long-acting technologies are changing the HIV prevention landscape. In recent years, innovation in pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has accelerated. Long acting injectable cabotegravir and the dapivirine vaginal ring as innovative formulations of PrEP have already joined oral PrEP containing tenofovir as WHO-recommended effective and acceptable options for HIV prevention, and there are additional antiretroviral-based options on the immediate horizon. These options complement other effective,…

The power of women supporting women - Mentor program for women living with and affected by HIV in Kazakhstan

The Mentor programme for women in Kazakhstan was established to empower women living with or affected by HIV by connecting them with mentors who share their life experiences and provide critical support during challenging times. Co-financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan and supported by UNAIDS, the program creates a safe space for women to learn, grow, and draw strength from one another. Through training seminars, support groups, and one-on-one mentoring, it…

Interactive health and HIV game app reaches more than 300 000 young people in Côte d’Ivoire

“Despite the fact that young people have more access to information through the internet and social media than ever before, many young people are struggling to make informed decisions about their sexual relations,” said UNAIDS Country Director Henk Van Renterghem. For example, the survey revealed that only 40% knew that medicine (anti-retroviral treatment) existed for HIV and 39% of girls (29% of boys) did not know that condoms prevented HIV transmission. Last year, 20% of new HIV infections in…

Women living with HIV continue to face violations of their sexual and reproductive rights—including coercion into sterilization

The report, Confronting Coercion: A global scan of coercion, mistreatment and abuse experienced by women living with HIV in reproductive and sexual health services, shows that women living with HIV face practices that undermine their bodily autonomy. Reproductive choices are monitored, and women are subjected to various coercive practices.

At a high-level side event hosted by the Education Plus Initiative on the first day of conference held at the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, leaders, girls’ and women’s networks and advocates called for greater investments in girls’ ed

Girls’ education for HIV prevention at 1st Pan-African Conference on Girls’ and Women’s Education in Africa

Girls’ education as a tool to prevent HIV infection has been centered at the 1st African Union Pan-African Conference on Girls’ and Women’s Education in Africa. This followed African leaders designating education as the 2024 African Union theme of the year.

The 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), the UN’s largest annual gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment, took place this year from 11 - 22 March under the priority theme, “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and

UNAIDS welcomes governments’ commitment to end AIDS, tackle gender-based violence, discrimination and inequalities

On 22 March, governments attending the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) adopted, by consensus, a resolution focused on advancing the rights and empowerment of women and girls as part of efforts to end AIDS.

Education Plus Initiative co-hosted with the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg a high-level side event on the margins of the 68th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) to bring attention to the cost of inaction, calling for more consistent investme

Invest in women and girls’ education and health rights to end AIDS in Africa

Despite substantial declines in new HIV infections globally, the HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to disproportionately impact adolescent girls and young women in many countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2022, there were 3,100 new weekly infections among adolescent girls and young women aged 15-24 years. In sub-Saharan Africa, adolescent girls and young women accounted for more than 77% of new infections among people aged 15-24 years in 2022.