Promote gender equality to fight HIV/AIDS

Daniel   Nana Aforo

The Governments and Leaders of African should address and promote gender equality as a way to fight the most dreaded disease of HIV/AIDS. The fight for development cannot be won if governments, stakeholders, and policy makers do not stop the spread of HIV. It is simply a prerequisite for meeting most of the other Millennium Development Goals.

Today, the number new cases are rising faster than the rate at which treatment is being offered, therefore the need to intensify prevention efforts, along with treatment, care and support for people living with the virus.

This was said by the UN Deputy Secretary General, Dr.  Rose Asha Migiro, at the ongoing Ninth African Union Summit, in Accra.

She said there is the need to address the root causes of the spread among women and girls. “Women bear a disproportionate part of the AIDS burden in Africa. In Sub Africa, women represent nearly 60 percent of all people living with HIV, and nearly 3 out of 4 young people between 15-24 years old who are living with the HIV are female”.

She said women and girls need to be empowered and this could achieve true and lasting development. This she said could be done by eliminating gender inequalities in primary and secondary education and ensuring free and equal rights for women to own and inherit property.

 “All forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls should be eliminated” she said.

On peace and security, she said collective energies must focus on preventing conflict and assisting countries that are emerging from war to re-establish themselves on the path towards durable peace.

She said a number of long- standing regional challenges such as irregular migration, human and drug trafficking, youth umemployment, proliferation of small arms, and security sector reform must be address to maintain regional stability and reinforce the positive momentum towards improved human security ion West Africa.

She said there must be a way to resolve the root causes of the conflict in Darfur. She quickly added that the African Union ands the United Nations are working closely to together to reinvigorate the political process and bring a negotiated solution to the Darfur crisis.

She said the United Nations is working with the African Union to develop a Standby Force capable of rapid deployment. The ultimate objective she said is to develop a new peace and security architecture that can contribute to preventing conflict and maintain strong peace on the continent.                                                                              

Special African Union Summit report in Accra.