Mercy Global Concern - 2004

International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative

World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts World YWCA

Joint Media Release - World AIDS Day, December 1, 2004

Aids Deaths Among Women Unnecessary

"The stark truth is: millions of women and girls are dying unnecessarily on
our watch. They are dying because they are unable to protect themselves
from the AIDS virus, and when infected they can't get proper nutrition to
prolong their lives or anti retroviral drugs when these become necessary. It
is a scandal which we can no longer tolerate," said Mary Robinson, former
United Nations Human Rights Commissioner and President of the Republic of
Ireland, on the release of the latest UNAIDS report revealing that the
number of women living with HIV has risen worldwide over the past two years.

Robinson's organisation, Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization
Initiative, has joined forces with three leading international women's
organisations working on HIV/AIDS, to raise awareness of the issues facing
women on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2004. With women making up nearly half
of the 37.2 million adults living with AIDS, the group aims to mobilise
women's leadership through their combined global outreach of 54 million
women and girls in 150 countries. It includes the International Community
of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW), the World YWCA and the World
Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS).

"AIDS is a global crisis and today, it bears the face of a woman. While the
challenges presented by this crisis are great, we want to make it clear that
these challenges are not cause for hopelessness and resignation, but for
leadership and action," said Musimbi Kanyoro, General Secretary of the World
YWCA, an organisation currently delivering HIV/AIDS and reproductive health
programmes to women and girls in 62 countries.

Alice Welbourn, Chair of ICW, an international network striving to raise the
voices and issues of the 19 million HIV positive women worldwide, said that
" AIDS challenges us to tackle the greatest taboos facing humanity, no matter
where we live on the planet. These are sex, race, religion, poverty and
death. The task before us is extraordinary, but then so are many of the
groups of people who are facing it. They are creating innovative ways of
thinking and working and, in the process, reshaping the world for the mutual
benefit of all. The responsibility for the rest of society is to provide the
support and resources they need."

Lesley Bulman, Chief Executive of WAGGGS, believes that greater attention
needs to focus on young women and girls: "with young women making up 76% of
young people living with HIV and AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, preventative
education and support services need to start early. Young women can play a
crucial role in educating their peers about HIV and changing attitudes of
entire generations". WAGGGS delivers peer education programmes in over 50
countries designed to educate and inform members about HIV and AIDS.

"We call on women leaders at every level around the world to get engaged and
take action urgently. Let us show that working together we can make a
difference", said Robinson.

Kanyoro also emphasised the importance of partnership with men: "Working
with men in leadership is not an option neither is it a choice. It is a
solution. It is an asset. We need to partner with men in order to address
the masculine norms and behaviours that increase the risk of infection for
both men and women."

"The AIDS pandemic has only just begun and creates a threat like no other to
the stability and fabric of many of the world's richly diverse societies.
Different sectors of society can contribute to a shared vision of how the
world might treat HIV positive women and girls and their families and
communities. There are many groups who have a significant role to play,"
added Welbourn.