On December 1, as the international community commemorates World AIDS Day, we turn our attention to the considerable impact that AIDS has on women and girls worldwide. This year, the theme of World AIDS Day is “Universal Access and Human Rights.” In a statement released by UNIFEM Executive Director Ines Alberdi, a recent report from the World Health Organization is cited in which research indicates “AIDS is the leading killer of women of reproductive age in poor and middle-income countries.” Alberdi goes on to say, “This is unacceptable at a time when HIV treatment is available.”

In a call for improved, targeted actions, Alberdi says that a health sector approach must be compounded by “an equally rigorous and well-financed effort to address the root causes of HIV…that lie within social, economic and political structures.” To this end, research must lend itself to a focus on gender and the different ways that AIDS affects men and women. Advancing gender equality is a central component of AIDS eradication efforts, says Alberdi:

“We all know that women’s vulnerability to HIV is closely connected to gender discrimination and the continued violation of women’s rights…HIV and AIDS and persistent gender inequality are mutually reinforcing crises; we must tackle them together to achieve lasting change.”

Women’s Rights Are at the Core of Addressing the AIDS Pandemic -UNIFEM