Vienna, 1 December 2004
World AIDS Day is an opportunity to celebrate the progress we have made in the fight against HIV/AIDS, and it provides a space for reflection on the challenges that remain. We have made progress in a number of areas: never before has the global commitment been higher, and never before have so many resources been available, to stem the tide of the pandemic.
Less heartening is the news we recently received from the UNAIDS Secretariat that the number of women in the world living with HIV/AIDS has risen in all regions over the last two years. In 2004, among the 39.4 million people living with HIV/AIDS, 17.6 million were women (48%) and 2.2 million were children under the age of 15. The issue of women and girls is central to any response to HIV/AIDS, because they are the most vulnerable to HIV infection. Also, most women become infected because they are not empowered or educated to protect themselves, to access services and to make the right choices.
HIV/AIDS strategies and programmes need to address the real-world issues faced by women and girls. Central to this is the elimination of gender inequities as well as the need to address stigma and discrimination. Discrimination of women and girls living with HIV/AIDS isolates them, and this makes it impossible for them to acquire education, care and the other services that they must have to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS is more than a health issue it is also an issue of human rights and gender-based discrimination.
Gender-sensitive HIV/AIDS prevention and care is crucial to the work of UNODC. We have many projects in the field, including drug demand reduction projects, that reach women and girls to ensure that services and information are available to them. We are also working hard to address the trafficking of persons for the purpose of sexual exploitation, because victims of trafficking, mostly young women, are among the groups most vulnerable to HIV infection.
As part of UNODCs efforts, we are raising awareness about the possible consequences of drug use and the link between drug use and the spread of HIV/AIDS. To this end, we have just launched our new global campaign and its companion slogan, Think before you start, before you shoot, before you share, targeting young men and women to encourage them to consider the implications of using drugs.
Our work and that of our colleagues in the UNAIDS family are making a difference for millions who are vulnerable to or living with HIV/AIDS. The job is not done yet. However, I am confident that our collective efforts can reverse the tide of the pandemic.