Message from UNAIDS Executive Director Mr. Michel Sidibé

GENEVA, 8 March 2011—Today is the 100^th anniversary of the International Women’s day and I salute all women.

There is much to celebrate and there is so much more we can and should do.

30 years into the AIDS epidemic, women and girls are still the most affected—nearly 16 million are living with HIV and the number continues to rise every day. 

We must not accept this.

I hope for a world where; all women can protect themselves and their children from HIV; all women have access to HIV treatment; and women  and girls do not fear rape, violence and HIV infection.

I hope for a world where there are Zero new HIV infections, Zero discrimination and Zero AIDS–related deaths among women and girls.

We must make this a reality, not in the next 100 years, but now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt2s86NrF8k