UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Calls for Urgent Investment in HIV Response for Women and Girls

UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Christine Stegling has urged global leaders to prioritize HIV prevention and treatment for women and girls, warning that shrinking resources threaten hard-won progress.

She made the call at a high-level side event hosted by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) during the ongoing 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) in New York.

Speaking on the theme, “The Urgency of HIV Prevention and Treatment for Women and Girls: Resolution 60/2 in the Context of Shrinking Resources for the HIV Response,” Stegling highlighted SADC’s critical role in championing CSW Resolution 60/2. She emphasized that this resolution is not just a political commitment but a vital instrument in advancing gender equality and ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

“SADC countries, as pen holders of this resolution for many years, continue to play a critical leadership role. This resolution is a beacon that shows us the progress we must make,” Stegling told delegates, including SADC Secretary-General Boemo Sekgoma, SADC MPs, and Zimbabwe’s Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Monica Mutsvangwa.

Women and Girls Disproportionately Affected

Stegling noted that while significant progress has been made in the global HIV response—new HIV infections have decreased by 69% since 1995, and AIDS-related deaths have dropped by 69% since 2004—women and girls in Sub-Saharan Africa remain disproportionately affected.

“In 2023, women and girls accounted for 62% of all new HIV infections in Sub-Saharan Africa. Every week, around 3,100 young women aged 15–24 in Africa were newly infected with HIV—three times more likely than their male peers. These figures are shocking and unacceptable,” she said.

She painted a grim picture of the growing funding crisis, which is putting millions of lives at risk.

“Across the globe, thousands of women and girls do not have access to prevention services and lifesaving medicines. Clinics are closing, girls are being turned away, and the risks of sexual and gender-based violence are rising,” she warned.

Call for Urgent Action and Investment

Stegling stressed that without immediate and increased investment, the world risks reversing the gains made in the HIV response.

“If the current financial trajectory doesn’t change, we run the risk of losing the progress we have made, specifically for women and girls,” she said.

She called for women and girls to be at the center of the HIV response, emphasizing the need for their leadership in finding solutions to the crisis.

“Women’s leadership is critical during this time. Let us ensure they are at the heart of addressing the HIV and gender inequality challenges we face,” she urged.

She also highlighted the power of education in reducing HIV infections, stating that keeping girls in school until secondary completion reduces their HIV risk by up to 50%.

“Now, more than ever, we must invest in girls’ education,” she added.

SADC Calls for a Unified Regional Approach

Zimbabwe’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Mavis Sibanda, echoed Stegling’s concerns, urging the SADC region to forge a united front.

She praised SADC’s commitment to implementing CSW Resolution 60/2 and the Beijing+30 agenda but warned that declining global funding is putting millions at risk, particularly women and girls.

“We are navigating a very difficult context,” Sibanda said. “Today, we have heard that in the HIV and gender response, we are at a crossroads and risk losing the gains attained over the past decades.”

She called for innovative approaches to sustain commitments to women and girls in the face of dwindling financial support.

“It is of critical importance that countries and stakeholders find creative ways of implementing the Resolution and the tenets outlined in the Beijing Declaration to positively impact the lives of women and girls,” Sibanda urged.

She also emphasized the need to center young women in the response and applauded young panellists from Eswatini and Latin America for their leadership.

Ensuring a Gender-Focused HIV Response

Sibanda stressed that any reconfiguration of HIV financing must be done with a gender lens to ensure that women and girls have continued access to essential services, including HIV prevention, treatment, and gender-based violence support.

As the current SADC chair, Zimbabwe reaffirmed its commitment to advancing this agenda.

“Zimbabwe, together with other SADC member states, remains committed to ensuring that the Resolution and action points agreed in this event are implemented in our bloc,” Sibanda said.

Stegling concluded with a message of solidarity and hope:

“Know that you are powerful, you are valued, and you are not alone. Together, we will create a world where every woman and girl can live with dignity, health, and hope—a world where AIDS is no longer a public health threat. This is not just a dream; it is a possibility within our reach if we stand together in solidarity.”