More than 17 million women and girls are now living with HIV. Women are 60 percent of those with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, more than half of adults living with HIV in the Caribbean, and infections among women are rising rapidly in Asia, Eastern Europe and elsewhere. Women and girls are also increasingly bearing the economic and social burden of the pandemic.

Against this backdrop, the Toronto AIDS Conference will include a number of high-level sessions to address the disparate impact of AIDS on women and girls. These include an Aug. 14 panel with Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Philanthropist Melinda Gates, and journalist Judy Woodruff on “Women at the Frontline in the AIDS Response” [12:30–2pm, Session Room 1].

Other key themes at the conference include the need to increase evidence-based prevention services to stem HIV’s spread, address the widespread shortage of trained health care workers in countries where HIV/AIDS has hit hardest, and expand treatment to reach more of the 80 percent of people who need antiretroviral treatment but do not receive it.

The Centre for Development and Population Activities [Exhibitor Hall Booth D-420 at the AIDS Conference] leads global HIV/AIDS programs to mobilize communities to slow the spread of HIV/AIDS and promote equal care and treatment for women and their families.

CEDPA’s AIDS programs include new initiatives to equip and mobilize a cadre of women globally against AIDS, and expand prevention, care and treatment for Nigerians living with HIV/AIDS:

• Advancing Women’s Leadership and Advocacy for AIDS Action is a Ford Foundation initiative that joins CEDPA with the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW), National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) and the UNAIDS-led Global Coalition on Women and AIDS. It will develop a cadre of confident, knowledgeable, skilled and respected women leaders—particularly women living with HIV/AIDS—to advocate at local, national and international levels for effective AIDS policies.
• Positive Living, a $12.8 million, four-year project funded by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief through the U.S. Agency for International Development, will improve the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS, their families and communities through expanded community-level access to quality HIV/AIDS services. Responding to the critical role that faith communities play in providing health services and influencing behavior change in Nigeria, key partners include the Anglican Communion, Church of Christ Nigeria and the National Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs.

CEDPA also has published internationally-recognized resources to increase awareness and build skills of those addressing the AIDS crisis. These include WomenLead in the Fight Against AIDS, with stories and strategies from a dynamic group of women on the frontlines of the global AIDS fight. Other tools include training manuals for faith communities, on home-based care, and to integrate HIV/AIDS and reproductive health programs.

Go to the official XVI International AIDS Conference Web site.

Watch Web casts from kaisernetwork.org.