NEW YORK, USA - UNAIDS deputy executive director Christine Stegling has urged global leaders to prioritise HIV prevention and treatment for women and girls in the face of shrinking resources.
She made the call at a high-level side event hosted by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) at the ongoing 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) in New York.
Speaking on the theme, “The Urgency of HIV Prevention and Treatment for Women and Girls: Resolution 60/2 in the Context of Shrinking Resources for the HIV Response”, Stegling noted SADC’s leadership in championing the CSW Resolution 60/2 as a critical instrument for advancing gender equality and ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
Some of the delegates at the side event in New York. Photo: Moses Magadza, SADC PF.
“SADC countries, as pen holders of this resolution for many years, continue to play a critical leadership role. This resolution is not just a reaffirmation of political commitment; it is a beacon that shows us the progress we must make,” Stegling told delegates who included SADC secretary-general Boemo Sekgoma, SADC MPs and Zimbabwe’s Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Monica Mutsvangwa.
On progress made in the global HIV response, Stegling noted that new HIV infections have decreased by 69% since 1995, and AIDS-related deaths have also dropped by 69% since 2004. Yet, she warned that women and girls remain disproportionately affected, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“In 2023, women and girls accounted for 62% of all new HIV infections in Sub-Saharan Africa. Every week, around 3,100 young women aged 15 - 24 years in Africa were newly infected with HIV, three times more likely than their male peers. These figures are shocking and unacceptable,” she said.
The UNAIDS official painted a grim picture of the growing funding crisis facing the HIV response globally, particularly as it threatens the gains made for women and girls.
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“Across the globe, thousands of women and girls do not have access to prevention services and lifesaving medicines. Clinics are closing, girls are being turned away, and risks of sexual and gender-based violence are rising,” she warned.
Stegling stressed that without urgent, increased investment, hard-won progress risks being reversed.
“If the current financial trajectory doesn’t change, we run the risk of losing the gains that we have made, specifically for women and girls, and for the world,” she warned, calling for placing of women and girls at the centre of the HIV response.
“Women’s leadership is critical during this time of crisis. Let us ensure they are at the heart of finding solutions to the HIV and gender inequality challenges we are facing,” she urged.
Education, she said, remains a powerful tool to break the cycle of HIV infections and gender inequality.
“Keeping girls in school until the completion of secondary education reduces HIV risk by up to 50%. In several African countries, efforts are underway to guarantee free secondary education. Now, more than ever, we must invest in girls’ education,” Stegling added.
She also called for the full implementation of existing commitments, including CSW Resolution 60/2, and the strengthening of accountability mechanisms.
“We know that without resources, progress will not only stall, but previous gains will be lost. Critical commitments must be adequately resourced if we are to protect women’s health and end AIDS by 2030,” she stressed.
The UNAids boss added: “Know that you are powerful, you are valued, and you are not alone. Together, we will create a world where every woman and girl can live with dignity, health, and hope. A world where AIDS is no longer a public health threat. This is not just a dream; it is a possibility within our reach if we stand together in solidarity.”
Zimbabwe’s permanent secretary in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Mavis Sibanda said the SADC region must forge a united front and urgently prioritise the needs of women and girls in the HIV and gender equality response, especially as global funding dwindles and vulnerabilities heighten.
Sibanda applauded the region’s efforts to keep the promise of Beijing+30 and implement CSW Resolution 60/2, which focuses on women, girls, and HIV.
Some of the delegates at the side event in New York. Photo: Moses Magadza, SADC PF.
She warned that the global reduction in funding for HIV, gender equality, development, and humanitarian sectors has placed millions of lives at risk, with women and girls being disproportionately affected.
“We are navigating a very difficult context,” she said. “Today we have heard that in the HIV and gender response, we are at a crossroads and risk losing the gains attained over the past decades. Unfortunately, at this time vulnerability has been heightened for the already vulnerable women and girls.”
She called on SADC countries and global partners to recognise the power and relevance of Resolution 60/2, especially in times of crisis.
“It is of critical importance that countries and stakeholders innovate and find creative ways of implementing the Resolution and the tenets outlined in the Beijing Declaration to make a positive difference in the lives of women and girls,” Sibanda urged.
She also stressed the need to place young women at the centre of the response and applauded young panellists from Eswatini and Latin America for demonstrating leadership and understanding of the challenges faced by young women and girls.
Sibanda said that any reconfiguration of HIV financing must be done with a gender lens to ensure women and girls have access to life-saving treatment, HIV prevention services, gender-based violence prevention, and other socio-structural support services.
As the current SADC chair, Zimbabwe reaffirmed its commitment to pushing this agenda forward.
“Zimbabwe, together with the other SADC member states, remains committed to ensuring that the Resolution and action points agreed in this event are taken up in our bloc,” Sibanda said.
