E/2009/27 E/CN.6/2009/15 1. Welcomes the report of the Secretary-General on women, the girl child and HIV/AIDS; 21 2. Reaffirms the need for Governments, supported by the relevant actors, including civil society and the private sector, to intensify national efforts and international cooperation in the implementation of the commitments contained in the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS,17 the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS,18 the Beijing Platform for Action8 and the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development;16 3. Also reaffirms the commitment to scale up towards universal access to reproductive health by 2015, as set out in the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, integrating this goal into strategies to attain internationally agreed development goals, including those contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration19 aimed at reducing maternal mortality, improving maternal health, reducing child mortality, promoting gender equality, combating HIV/AIDS and eradicating poverty; Further reaffirms the commitment to achieve universal access to 4. comprehensive HIV prevention programmes, treatment, care and support by 2010, as set out in the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS; Stresses the need to significantly increase and coordinate political and 5. financial commitment to address gender equality and equity in national HIV and AIDS responses, and urges Governments to work towards effectively reflecting in their national policies, strategies and budgets the gender dimension of the pandemic, in line with the time-bound goals of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, the Beijing Platform for Action and the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS; Urges Governments to take all necessary measures to create an enabling 6. environment for the empowerment of women, to strengthen their economic independence and their right to property and inheritance, and to protect and promote their full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms in order to enable them to protect themselves from HIV infection; Urges Governments and other relevant stakeholders to address the 7. challenges faced by older women in accessing HIV prevention, treatment, care and support as well as in caring for people living with or affected by HIV and AIDS, including orphaned grandchildren; Also urges Governments and other relevant stakeholders to address the 8. increased risk of HIV/AIDS facing women and girls with disabilities, ensuring their equal access to prevention, treatment, care and support, as an integral part of their HIV and AIDS response; Emphasizes the need to strengthen policy and programme linkages and 9. coordination between HIV and AIDS and sexual and reproductive health, and their inclusion in national development plans, including poverty reduction strategies and sector-wide approaches, where they exist, as a necessary strategy for fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic and mitigating its impact on the population, which could result in more relevant and cost-effective interventions with greater impact; __________________ 21 24 E/CN.6/2009/6. 09-28398