HIV/AIDS, Human Rights and Gender
Protecting Human Rights, Ensuring Gender Equality
 Human rights
violations and inequitable gender relations continue to fuel the spread of the HIV epidemic.
Protecting the rights of people living with HIV and promoting gender equality are essential
for reducing vulnerability to HIV and scaling-up national responses. UNDP supports countries
in creating an enabling human rights environment to protect the rights of people living with
HIV, women and vulnerable groups. This includes addressing stigma, discrimination, and gender
relations that render women and girls vulnerable to infection, and promoting legislative and
other measures to ensure the full enjoyment of human rights.
News
Muslim and Christian religious leaders join hands in supporting people living with HIV/AIDS
 February 2008 - Khartoum, Sudan: UNDP along with the Sudan National AIDS Programme and Ministry of Guidance and Endowment hosted a workshop where key religious leaders from both the Christian and Muslim faiths joined together demonstrating their strong commitment to advocate for the protection of the rights of people living with HIV. The Ministry of Guidance and Endowment, committed itself to establishing an AIDS Council within the ministry to develop the capacity of the religious leaders to effectively contribute to the HIV response in Sudan.
UN agencies unite against female genital mutilation
 27 February 2008 - Reaffirming their commitment to the elimination of female genital mutilation, 10 United Nations bodies including UNDP and UNAIDS, have expressed their commitment to support governments, communities, and women and girls to abandon the practice within a generation. The statement highlights the damaging effect of female genital mutilation on the health of women, girls and newborn babies. Immediate risks of the practice include severe pain, shock and even death through hemorrhaging. The use of the same surgical instrument without sterilization could increase the risk for transmission of HIV between girls who undergo female genital mutilation together. Read press release and statement.
8th meeting of the UNAIDS Reference Group on HIV and Human Rights
3–5 December 2007 -
Human rights and its links to reaching the goal of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support were central to the discussions of the eighth meeting of the UNAIDS Reference Group on HIV and Human Rights, an independent advisory body to UNAIDS, that took place on 3–5 December 2007 in Geneva.
 Global Consultation on Gender and AIDS
Nairobi, Kenya: UNDP, in collaboration with the UNAIDS Secretariat
and UNIFEM, convened a global multi-stakeholder consultation on gender and AIDS from 21–23 November
2007, in Nairobi, Kenya. The consultation included representatives of government, civil society,
donors and the UN system, who came together to consider key strategies for strengthening action
on gender and AIDS. The outcomes of the consultation are contributing to the development of guidance
to support expansion of efforts to promote gender equality in the context of national AIDS responses.
China,
UNDP sign agreement to improve AIDS law-making
December 2007 - China's legislature signed a cooperation program with UNDP to strengthen a harmonious
legal environment for a successful coordinated response to HIV/AIDS in China. The program review and
provide recommendations on AIDS laws and regulations at national level and assist strengthening provincial
legislation. “At the national level, China has done an excellent job in developing policies and legislation
to support its efforts to respond to AIDS. However, more work remains to translate into effective and
timely local level action," said Subinay Nandy, UNDP China Country Director.
Global Parliamentary
Meeting on HIV and AIDS
28–30 November 2007 - The First Global Parliamentary Meeting on AIDS was organized
by the Inter-Parliamentary Union in cooperation with the Senate of the Philippines, the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Secretariat of the Joint United Nations Programme
on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in Manila. Parliamentarians from all over the world convened to discuss
their role in responding to the AIDS epidemic. The main aim of the meeting was to enhance
the commitment and collaboration of parliaments as crucial stakeholders in the AIDS response.
For more information on the Global Parliamentary meeting, click
here.
Community Capacity Enhancement through Community Conversations in Lesotho
7 September 2007 - Community Capacity Enhancement (CCE) through Community
Conversations is an approach that encourages and empowers communities to
develop their own responses in addressing
HIV/AIDS
and related gender issues. Download the pdf.
Women's Leadership in
the Arab Region's HIV/AIDS Response
30 September 2007 - UNDP, UNFPA and the Japan Women in Development Fund launched
a joint initiative on Women's Leadership in the Arab Region's HIV/AIDS Response to address
the increasing vulnerability of women in the region. The initiative aims to reduce the spread
and feminization of the HIV epidemic and to create an enabling environment that promotes and
protects the rights of women.
Small business enterprise project for HIV-positive women
20 August 2007 - This
UNDP-supported
project
is aimed at helping HIV-positive women to lead a life of dignity and economic independence. The project
supports
groups of women living with HIV to run small, market-savvy
social enterprises, with technical and marketing
assistance
from Thailand's Population and Community
Development Association, UNDP, international agencies and the private sector.
Changing China's perception of HIV/AIDS
3 August 2007 - Together with the Chinese government, the UN is enlisting the media
to reduce HIV-related stigma and discrimination, and to promote more tolerant and accepting attitudes
towards people living with HIV.
First Asia Pacific Court of Women on HIV and Inheritance and Property Rights
 18
August 2007 - Organised by UNDP and the Asian Women's Human Rights Council in partnership
with UNIFEM, UNAIDS and several NGOs in the region, this event was the first regional summit
on inheritance and property rights of women in the context of HIV.
The event featured compelling testimonies by HIV positive women on the denial of their property rights
as well as analyses by activists and academics on the broader context within which this dispossession
is taking place.
Additional Media Coverage:
Publications
Taking
Action Against HIV
This Handbook for parliamentarians, was launched at the Global Parliamentary meeting on AIDS. The Handbook
serves as both
a call to action for parliamentary leadership and a reference
book that legislators
and their staff may consult for information
and guidance on specific issues in relation to the AIDS
response.
For a copy of the Handbook, download
the pdf here.
 Know Your Universal Rights
Respect for human rights is critical to preventing the spread of HIV, and reducing AIDS-relat ed stigma
and discrimination. The Human Rights cards provide a short and concise overview of the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights and what it means within the context of AIDS. The cards are downloadable PDFs, and
currently available in:
English | French | Russian
 Human
Trafficking and HIV
2007 - An independent regional research study commissioned by UNDP with support
from the Government of Japan has revealed an alarming trend of trafficking of girls and women and
HIV infection in South Asia. The study found that a large number of those at the risk of being
trafficked in South Asia are young girls and women, who are also vulnerable to HIV infection.
Download the pdf.
Assessing Gender Equality and Equity as Critical Elements in National Responses to HIV:
Cambodia, Honduras and Ukraine
11 June 2007 - This conference paper presents results from three
gender and HIV assessments conducted in Cambodia, Honduras and Ukraine. It describes the analytical
framework that guided the assessments, presents general findings and observations, and includes
country specific recommendations for strengthening integration of gender in national AIDS responses. Download
the pdf.
 International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights
2006 Consolidated version
- The International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights are aimed at assisting
States in creating a positive, rights-based response to HIV that is effective in reducing the transmission
and impact of HIV and AIDS and is consistent with human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Download the pdf.
 HIV-Related Stigma and Discrimination in Asia: A Review of Human Development Consequences
July
2007 - Although there have been many notable successes in both the prevention and treatment
of HIV, stigma and discrimination remains an intractable problem associated with the AIDS epidemic
worldwide. This review addresses the intersection between stigma and discrimination and human
development focusing on the manner in which people living with HIV and their families are affected
by stigma and discrimination from the individual to structural and societal levels. Download
the pdf.
 A
Review of Regional and National Human Rights Based HIV and AIDS Policies and Frameworks in
Eastern and Southern Africa
September 2007 - This
study examines AIDS and human rights policy documents, legislation and tools from 22 countries
and from regional bodies and economic communities in Eastern and Southern Africa. The
aim is to establish an inventory of existing
legal
instruments, review their use and implementation,
and evaluate the extent to which they are responsive to international standards and
gender concerns. Download the pdf.
 Women's
Property Rights as an AIDS Response - Special edition for the 8th International
Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific
August 2007 - The
International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) conducted research in South Asia on emerging
efforts to promote women's inheritance and property rights in response to AIDS. This special
edition, with input from UNDP, includes a supplementary discussion on the current state
of HIV in
the region
and the potential pathways to securing property rights for women to mitigate
the impact of AIDS. Download
the pdf.
Links
UNAIDS Reference Group on Human Rights
Supported by the UNAIDS Secretariat and UNDP, the
Reference Group advises UNAIDS on how it can strengthen
the capacity of governments, civil society and the private sector to protect human
rights including the rights of women and vulnerable groups, in relation to HIV, and
promote the Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV (GIPA).
 UNIFEM Gender and HIV/AIDS web portal
The UNIFEM gender and HIV/AIDS web portal,
developed in collaboration with UNAIDS, provides up-to-date information on the gender dimensions
of the AIDS epidemic. The portal
includes
cutting edge research, studies and surveys; training materials;
multi-media advocacy tools; speeches and presentations; press releases and current news; best
practices and personal stories; campaign actions and opinion pieces by leading commentators.
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