UNODC and UN Women sign agreement on cooperation on HIV/AIDS prevention

On 23 June 2011, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UN Women in Islamabad, Pakistan, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote partnership in the area of gender and health. The purpose of the memorandum is to ensure closer collaboration between the two organizations in researching gender and HIV in Pakistan.

Both agencies also committed to assist the government and civil society in developing and implementing drug-related HIV prevention and care programmes for female drug users, spouses of male drug users and their families, as well as female prisoners. UNODC Representative, Mr. Jeremy Douglas, welcomed the initiative underlining the MoU will contribute to enhancing capacity in Pakistan to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and improving care for HIV patients.

UN Women is the United Nations entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women and strives to promote gender equality and women's human rights, strengthening implementation of gender sensitive policy and legislation and eliminate all forms of violence against women and women's human rights.