E/2001/27 E/CN.6/2001/14 against HIV/AIDS, including efforts at providing affordable anti-retroviral drugs, particularly in favour of women and young girls, in the worst-hit regions in Africa and where the epidemic is severely setting back national development gains; “8. Urges Governments to take steps to create an environment that promotes compassion and support for people infected/affected by HIV/AIDS, to provide the legal framework that will protect the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS, to enable those who are vulnerable to have access to appropriate voluntary counselling services and to encourage efforts to reduce discrimination and stigmatization; “9. Urges Governments, with the assistance of relevant agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations system and intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, to create an environment and conditions that will take care of and support children orphaned by AIDS; “10. Encourages Governments to recognize the challenges facing girls and women, particularly older women, who are primary caregivers for people living with HIV/AIDS, and to provide them with the necessary economic and psychosocial support; “11. Urges Governments, with the assistance of relevant agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations system, to adopt a long-term, timely, coherent and integrated AIDS prevention policy, with public information and life skills-based education programmes specifically tailored to the needs of women and girls within their sociocultural contexts and sensitivities and the specific needs in their life cycle; “12. Encourages Governments and civil society to support women’s groups and community organizations in changing harmful traditions and practices affecting the health of women and girls and to take steps to eliminate all forms of violence against women, including rape and sexual coercion, which aggravate the conditions fostering the spread of the epidemic; “13. Encourages accelerated research on vaccine development and intensified additional research on promoting the female condom, microbicides and other options that offer women more control over the protection of their reproductive sexual health; “14. Requests Governments to provide comprehensive health care for women and girls with HIV, including treatment for opportunistic diseases and reproductive health services, and also ensure that condoms and treatment for sexually transmitted infections are affordable and available in places accessible to women while ensuring their privacy; “15. Urges Governments and networks to continue advocating, lobbying and entering into negotiations with multinational drug companies for a drastic reduction in the market prices of HIV/AIDS-related drugs and diagnostics to ensure their availability to women and girls living with HIV/AIDS; “16. Welcomes the efforts at coordination by the Joint United Nations Programme on Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (UNAIDS) and the efforts in promoting sexual and reproductive health education for young people, in particular girls, while encouraging them 38