E/1999/27 E/CN.6/1999/10 5. Also requests the Secretary-General to prepare, taking into account the information provided by States and relevant international organizations, a report on the implementation of the present resolution, for submission to the Commission on the Status of Women at its forty-fourth session. Resolution 43/2. Women, the girl child and human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome* The Commission on the Status of Women, Recognizing that women play a vital role in the social and economic development of their countries and therefore profoundly concerned by the fact that out of 33.4 million people living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) today, women now represent 43 per cent of all people over the age of 15 living with HIV and AIDS, Noting with great concern that the proportion of women becoming infected with HIV is growing in every region, that in sub-Saharan Africa there are already 6 women with HIV for every 5 men, and that in the younger age brackets (15–24 years), the HIV risk for African girls is even more disproportionate, Recognizing that gender inequalities begin early in life and can render women and the girl child unable to protect their sexual and reproductive health, thus increasing their risk and vulnerability to HIV infection, Mindful that the majority of women and the girl child in most developing countries do not have access to education, health care, social security and other basic services to enable them to enjoy full social and economic rights, and therefore suffer disproportionately from the consequences of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, particularly in the economic and social spheres, Recognizing that women who constitute the majority of the poor are especially vulnerable to HIV infection because of their subordinate status in society, in the households and communities and because of their restricted access to education, gainful employment and health and information services, Also recognizing that women and, in particular, young girls, are physiologically and biologically more vulnerable than men to sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, and yet receive minimal health care and support when infected, Noting with concern that approximately 80 per cent of the infected women have been infected through unprotected sex with an infected male partner, and acknowledging therefore that men have a shared responsibility towards protecting their own and women’s sexual health, Acknowledging that millions of women do not have access to means that have proved effective in preventing and lowering infection rates, such as male and female condoms, anti-retroviral drugs, relevant preventive education, acceptable counselling and testing services, Noting with appreciation the efforts of the Joint and Co-sponsored United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and its co-sponsoring organizations, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the World Health Organization and the World Bank, to empower women through capacity development programmes, as well as programmes that provide women with access to development * 26 For the discussion, see chap. II.