UNIFEM and UN-INSTRAW Fight against HIV and AIDS

United Nations, New York - The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the UN International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (UN-INSTRAW) called for increased financial support to gender equality and women’s empowerment in the fight against HIV and AIDS at a recent meeting organized by UNIFEM and supported by the European Commission.  The Expert Group Consultation on Tracking and Monitoring Gender Equality and HIV in Aid Effectiveness was hosted by UN-INSTRAW in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on 28–30 May 2008.

Leading experts were brought together to discuss monitoring of development aid so that it is more effective in addressing the gender dimensions of the HIV and AIDS pandemic. Participants from across the world examined strategies to support nationally led processes of tracking and monitoring progress to reduce HIV infections among women and girls by improving their access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, and reduce the HIV-related violence they face. They emphasized the importance of tracking and monitoring financing for gender equality in the response to the HIV and AIDS pandemic and identifying, reviewing, and refining key programme indicators.

“It is essential that we know how and where gender equality and HIV and AIDS are being included in the aid effectiveness agenda in order to ensure that aid is really ‘effective’ for women and girls,” said Teresa Rodriguez, UNIFEM Regional Programme Director for Mexico, Central America, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

“The first challenge is to increase information and ensure transparency around budgets and expenditures on gender equality and HIV and AIDS, which could provide valuable insight into political commitment and priority-setting, sustainability and flexibility of funding, and management issues such as balancing the allocation of resources with the capacity to effectively manage them,” added Carmen Moreno, Director of UN-INSTRAW.