Colombo: Existing AIDS prevention and care efforts need to be substantially reoriented and the gender-empowerment efforts intensified to address the increasing vulnerability of women to HIV and reduce its disproportionate impact on them, suggests a new publication from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Launched here on Monday on World AIDS Day, the publication titled “Women and HIV in the Asia-Pacific Region: A Development Practitioner’s Guide” suggests investment in gender-transformative interventions; creation of an enabling environment; and large-scale involvement of women, men and boys in areas ranging from prevention and treatment, to gender-based violence and discrimination are essential for addressing the vulnerability of women to HIV.

The issues covered by the Guide include women, HIV and prevention, treatment, care, education, gender- based violence, reproductive and sexual rights, inheritance and property rights, economic empowerment and highly vulnerable populations.

“The increasing HIV infection rates among women and the disproportionate socio-economic impact of the epidemic that women bear are two daunting human development challenges that call for urgent attention in the Asia Pacific region,” said Dr. Ajay Chhibber, UN Assistant Secretary General and Director, UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific.

Although the region has recorded some impressive breakthroughs in HIV-prevention and care, it is extremely disturbing that a large number of women – an estimated 50 million, according to the Report of the Commission on AIDS in Asia - are at risk of infection. “This is an extraordinary challenge and we need to break new ground,” he added.

“Reducing the vulnerability of women to HIV and mitigating its impact is crucial to limiting the spread of the epidemic as well as in advancing the gender-empowerment agenda,” Dr. Chhibber said. UNDP is strongly committed to addressing the gender inequalities driving the epidemic and is working closely with UNAIDS, UN agencies, civil society partners, governments and most importantly, women living with HIV.

“This report, prepared through a long consultative process, is aimed to guide development practitioners on how to address the special vulnerabilities of women to HIV and to play a catalytic role for intensified action,” he added.

Dr. J.V.R. Prasada Rao, Director, UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Asia and the Pacific, said “the complexity of the situation is such that many young women have been infected by long term partners and spouses with whom they had little or no control to negotiate safe sex and prevent their exposure to the virus.

Preventing spousal transmission, or HIV in marriage, is a key priority for UNAIDS and its cosponsors, he said.

Based on the recommendations of the Commission on AIDS in Asia, efforts to mitigate the impact of HIV on women such as the removal of obstacles to their access to inheritance and property rights, income support to women in AIDS-affected households and extension of social security schemes should be costed and funded under the national strategic plans, said Dr. Rao.

“The purpose of this Guide is to stimulate thinking on the issues and to act as a catalyst for further dialogue, consultation and context-specific policy and programme development,” said Ms. Caitlin Wiesen, Regional HIV/AIDS Practice Leader, UNDP Regional Centre in Colombo.

The Guide covers specific ways in which gender imbalances and gender-related injustices fuel the epidemic. It offers evidence-based suggestions for policy and programmatic direction, and examples of promising practices from around the region to inspire thinking and trigger more effective HIV responses on the ground, she added. “There is no single magic bullet to this problem. We need a multipronged strategy involving all development partners and practitioners,” she said, adding “the Guide offers various entry points for the practitioners for effective engagement.”

The Guide has been prepared jointly by UNDP Regional HIV and Development Programme for Asia Pacific and the International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW) in close partnership with UNAIDS and UNIFEM, and with contributions from many institutions and individuals. Numerous background papers, studies, guidance notes and reports covering the work of gender, women and HIV in the region and beyond, have informed this publication.

It most significantly draws on the Report of the Commission on AIDS in Asia “Redefining AIDS in Asia”, the UNAIDS guidance note on working with most at risk populations and Global UNAIDS policy guidelines on gender.

Extensive consultations were held with other UN agencies including: UNODC on working with injecting drug users, UNFPA on sex work, UNICEF on care and support to orphans and vulnerable children and prevention of parent to child transmission, and UNAIDS on information and knowledge sharing, advocacy, and monitoring and evaluation. UNDP has also worked in close collaboration with UNIFEM SARO on the finalization of this guide.

The report may be downloaded here:

For more information, please contact: Revati Chawla (revati.chawla@undp.org) or Tiruni Yasaratne (tiruni.yasaratne@undp.org) at the UNDP Regional Centre in Colombo