health information and education, health care and
health services which are critical to increasing the
ability of women and young girls to protect themselves from HIV infection;
10.
In order to accelerate the implementation of the strategic objectives of the
conferences and documents mentioned
in paragraph 4 above, especially of those
objectives related to women, the girl child
and HIV/AIDS, the Commission recommends that the following actions be taken:
(d) Focus national and international policies towards
the eradication of poverty in order to empower
women to better protect themselves from the
spread of the pandemic and to more effectively
deal with the adverse effects of HIV/AIDS;
(e) Alleviate the social and economic impact of HIV/
AIDS on women who in their roles as food suppliers
and traditional caregivers are primarily affected by
the negative consequences of the pandemic, such
as a reduced labour force and a breakdown of social
service systems;
Actions to be taken by Governments,
the United Nations system and civil society,
as appropriate
1. Empowerment of women
(f) Reaffirm the equal rights of women and the girl
child infected and affected by sexually transmitted
infections/HIV/AIDS to have access to health, education and social services and to be protected from all
forms of discrimination, stigma, abuse and neglect;
(a) The rapid progression of the HIV/AIDS pandemic,
particularly in the developing world, has had a
devastating impact on women. The unequal power
relationships between women and men, in which
women often do not have the power to insist on
safe and responsible sex practices, and lack of communication and understanding between women
and men on women’s health needs, inter alia,
endanger women’s health, particularly by increasing
their susceptibility to sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS;
(g) Also reaffirm the human rights of girls and women to
equal access to education, skill training and employment opportunities as a means to reduce their vulnerability to sexually transmitted diseases/HIV;
(h) Urge Governments to take all necessary measures
to empower women and strengthen women’s
economic independence and protect and promote
full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms in order to allow women and girls to
better protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections/HIV;
(b) Responsible behaviour and gender equality are among
the important prerequisites for its prevention;
(c) Ensure that the sexual health and reproductive
rights of women of all ages as defined in paragraphs 94, 95 and 96 of the Beijing Platform for
Action is seen as an essential part in efforts to
promote women’s empowerment, bearing in
mind that women and girls are disproportionately
affected by HIV/AIDS and in this context, further
promote the advancement and empowerment of
women and women’s full enjoyment of all human
rights, including the right to development and their
right to have control over and decide freely and
responsibly on matters related to their sexuality, in
order to protect themselves from high risk and irresponsible behaviour leading to sexually transmitted
infections, including HIV/AIDS as well as access to
(i) Address and reduce the increased HIV/AIDS risks,
vulnerabilities and impact on women and girls,
including in conflict situations, through gendersensitive economic, legal and social services and
programmes, including integration of HIV/AIDS
prevention and care services into minimum essential health-care packages;
(j) Strengthen concrete measures to eliminate all forms
of violence against women and girls, including harmful traditional and customary practices, abuse and
rape, battering and trafficking in women and girls,
which aggravate the conditions fostering the spread
2