RELAUNCH OF POLICY BRIEF 2011 for the International Women's Summit in Zurich and the International AIDS Conference in Rome - July 2011

Women living with HIV from many different networks of positive women around the world first launched our international policy brief at the 55th Commission on the Status of Women in February 2011

WE are now relaunching it in five languages to take to delegates at the two major international conferences which take place in July 2011: in Zurich and in Rome


This Policy Brief sets out the challenges facing positive women's networks, large and small around the world, together with our recommendations for change.

Entitled "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is", the policy brief now has over 60 signatories from positive women's networks across the world. It is accompanied by a "Participation Tree", designed by political cartoonist Kate Charlesworth for ICW in 2005. This tree represents a humorous take on the very serious issues addressed in our brief.

To access the policy brief  in English, please click here.
To access the policy brief in French, Spanish and Russian, please click on the relevant language links.
The policy brief is also now available in Italian
Please help us to spread this brief far and wide!

Credits: Huge thanks to  inspiration from 'Rolake Odetoyinbo, Silvia Petretti, Sophie Dilmitis, and to Jane Shepherd for the amazing turn-around on her great graphic design. AND to Marijo Vazquez, Marion, Svetlana Moroz, Zhenya Maron, MariaTeresa Barbieri and other generous souls for translations of the policy brief into other languages.

LAUNCH OF THE FIRST VERSION OF THE POLICY BRIEF AT THE 55th CSW IN NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 2011

FIRST SESSION:

Women living with HIV spoke during the Global Coalition on Women and AIDS parallel event on "More than Money: Investing in Women and Girls", supported by the Salamander Trust. They  included Lydia Mungherera from Mama's Club in Uganda, Violeta Ross from the Bolivian Network of People with HIV, Ebony Johnson from ICW Global, Alice Welbourn from WECARe+ and PozfemUK, speaking from the panel, with Inviolata Mbwavi from Grassroots Empowerment Trust Kenya and Svetlana Moroz from Club Svitanok, Ukraine also.

The report from this GCWA panel session is posted on the GCWA site  and can also be accessed here.

SECOND SESSION:

Our policy brief was also presented at the High Level Consultation on the Sexual and Reproductive Rights of Women and Girls living with HIV and AIDS. This meeting, on 24th February, was organised by UNAIDS and co-hosted by Drs Michel Sidibé of UNAIDS, Michelle Bachelet of UNWomen and Babatunde Osotimehin of UNFPA.  Our Policy Brief was presented by Violeta Ross to all three UN Executive Directors.

Click here for the UNAIDS background issues paper prepared for this Consultation. Click here for the report of this HLC; and click here for the related appendices to this HLC.

Read here what Violeta Ross said in the opening session of the High Level Consultation.



THIRD SESSION:

Here you can view some video clips from a third session held by UNAIDS and UNWomen in the North Lawn Building of the UN, on 25 February 2011:

Dr Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UNWomen, spoke about various themes to do with women and HIV.

Dr Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS, spoke also about the sexual and reproductive rights of women living with HIV, about couples with different sero-status, about female controlled methods, and related issues. (Apologies, the sound of this video is not good)


OTHER Video Clips about our Policy Brief


To see and hear Lydia Mungherera talk about why she signed our policy brief and what it means to women living with HIV in Africa, click here.

To see Evgenia (Zhenya) Maron, from Charitable Women's Foundation, St. Petersburg, Russia, who is also a Board Member of WECARe+, talk about what the Policy Brief means to her in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, please click here.

To hear why Violeta Ross, Chair of the National Network of People living with HIV and AIDS in Bolivia, signed the Policy Brief, and what it means to women living with HIV in L America, click here.

Anandi Yuvraj of ICW Asia Pacific Region explains why our Policy Brief is so important to women living with HIV in this region.

Inviolata Mbwavi from the Grassroots Empowerment Trust, (GET), Kakamega, Western Kenya raises the importance of this Policy Brief to the many women living with HIV in rural areas of Africa.





Policy Brief 2011