Note to Correspondents

UNFPA to Highlight Increased Feminization of HIV/AIDS

 

At Series of Events, 29 May - 1 June

 

As the world marks 25 years of AIDS, representatives of the international community will gather at the United Nations to take stock of global efforts to confront the pandemic.  The 2006 High-Level Meeting on AIDS, 31 May–2 June, will review progress made since the 2001 General Assembly special session on HIV/AIDS, and the implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS adopted at that historic meeting.

During the 2006 review, UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, will highlight the increased feminization of HIV/AIDS, especially among the young.  In parts of the world, 76 per cent of young people (aged 15 to 24) living with HIV are female.  The UNFPA will ask world leaders for further political commitment to prevention, treatment and care for young people and the vulnerable.  The Fund will hold a number of events to underline this message, including:

Monday, 29 May -- Youth Summit

Representatives of youth organizations fighting against HIV/AIDS from around the world will gather before the high-level meeting to share experiences of their campaigns against the pandemic and to prepare their input to the review process.

Where:  UNFPA, Daily News Building

When:   9 a.m.-5 p.m. (concludes on Tuesday, 30 May)

Tuesday, 30 May -- Launch of 2006 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic

The UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid will join Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Executive Director Dr. Peter Piot and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Ann Veneman in launching the global report.  It provides the most comprehensive overview ever compiled on country responses to the AIDS epidemic.

Where:  United Nations Secretariat, Room 226

When:   11 a.m.- 12 noon

Wednesday, 31 May -- Wake-Up Showing

To be followed by questions and answers, Wake-Up, a half-hour documentary, focuses on Mozambique, a country that is emerging from civil war only to find itself facing a fast-growing HIV/AIDS epidemic.  The film explores the relationship between HIV and young people and what a select group of non-governmental organizations is doing to raise awareness and advocate for prevention.  The documentary was produced by Simone Duarte, whose other credits include The Road to Baghdad.

Where:  Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium

When:  2-3 p.m.

Thursday, 1 June

-- Panel 3:  Ending the Increased Feminization of AIDS

The panel, moderated by UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, will focus on the disproportionate impact of AIDS on women and girls, and the broader social and economic implications of this trend.

Where:  United Nations, Conference Room 2

When:  10 a.m.–1 p.m.

-- Youth Caucus

The Youth Caucus will review the high-level meeting and discuss how its outcomes can be implemented in-country.  Nane Annan and Kunio Waki, a UNFPA Deputy Executive Director, are among those who will attend.

Where:  United Nations, Conference Room 6

When:  1-2 p.m.

-- Audio News Conference

The news conference will feature three young campaigners against HIV/AIDS -- from Kenya, the Netherlands and the United States -— who will discuss their own experiences and recommend ways to enable the young to combat the pandemic.  Steve Kraus, Chief of the UNFPA HIV/AIDS Branch, will also take part in the news conference.

When:   2-3 p.m.

Media participation:  To join the news conference by phone, please contact Micheline Kennedy at tel.:  +1 (202) 326-8710 for access.

For further information, contact:  Abubakar Dungus, at tel.:  +1 (212) 297-5031, e-mail:  dungus@unfpa.org; Omar Gharzeddine at tel.:  +1 (212) 297-5028, e-mail:  gharzeddine@unfpa.org; Patricia Leidl, at tel.:  +1 (212) 297-5088, e-mail:  leidl@unfpa.org.

For other media resources, visit the UNFPA website, www.unfpa.org/hiv.

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For information media • not an official record