Stories
Statement by the Executive Director: Know your HIV status, make informed choices
Friday, November 30, 2018
In a statement for World AIDS Day, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, calls for strong commitments towards ending the epidemic, prioritizing the needs of young women in national HIV policies and local actions, and supporting women and girls to feel confident and empowered to demand that their HIV and other health needs are met.
Video: Empowering survivors and women living with HIV— Elena’s story, Ukraine
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
In this short film, Elena Vdovenko, a social worker at the Kyiv Centre for HIV-positive youth, talks about how her HIV+ status and the domestic violence she survived informs her work with women and youth every day.
Take Five: "We have the expertise to bring solutions"
Friday, July 20, 2018
Svitlana Moroz is a Ukrainian women’s rights activist living with HIV. She is one of the founders of the Union of Women of Ukraine affected by HIV “Positive Women” and since 2013 she has coordinated activities for the Eurasian Women’s Network on AIDS. As thousands of HIV activists from around the world attend the 22nd International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam from July 23 to 27, Moroz spoke to UN Women about the importance of women’s voices in the conference and beyond.
In the words of Baby Rivona: “Once I fought for my rights, the other women followed”
Thursday, November 30, 2017
Baby Rivona is a legend in Indonesia, loved widely, as well as feared by some. A passionate advocate of women living with HIV and AIDS, she is as often seen on the world stage, as she is the many districts and villages of her home country. Her mission is to guarantee access to treatment, services, and a life free of stigma and discrimination for women living with HIV and AIDS.
Statement by UN Women Executive Director: Leaving no one out from health
Thursday, November 30, 2017
Every four minutes, three young women become infected with HIV (UNAIDS Right to Health report, 2017). They are clearly not enjoying their right to health, nor will they, until we are able to reverse the inequalities and discrimination that fuel HIV spread. Those whose health and future are currently least prioritized must become our focus, if we are to achieve the changes we seek.
Living with HIV and violence: Women of Ukraine speak out and build solidarity
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
In Ukraine, 35 per cent of women living with HIV have experienced violence since the age of 15. Many women cannot definitively say that they have experienced violence, because they have suffered and witnessed gender-based violence through generations and it has been normalized. For women living with HIV, lack of awareness, shelters and support services pose additional challenges. Peer-support groups and the National Women’s Forum on HIV, supported by UN Women is bringing awareness, action and new beginnings for HIV positive women survivors of violence.
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Itumeleng Komanyane is the International Programme Manager at Sonke Gender Justice in South Africa, which advances gender equality and addresses HIV and AIDS across eighteen countries in Africa. At Sonke, she coordinated a multi-country project funded by the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (managed by UN Women on behalf of the UN system) from 2011-2014, which focused on increasing support among men and boys to end gender based violence in Kenya, Rwanda and Sierra Leone. Recently, Komanyane attended the 61st session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.
Thursday, April 6, 2017
This year, World Health Day, 7 April, focuses on the issue of depression. Impacting millions of people around the world, depression is the leading cause of illness and disability across the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
In the words of Luiza Karimova: “We were sex slaves”
Monday, February 20, 2017
Originally from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Luiza Karimova left her son with her family and travelled to Osh, Kyrgyzstan to find work. In Kyrgyzstan, she was sold into sex slavery and trafficked into Dubai. After 18 months, she was arrested and sent to jail. Today, Karimova works with Podruga, an organization based in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, which is supported by UN Women. Podruga works to end violence against women and assists women subjected to sex and drug trafficking.
Rural Ugandan women living with HIV break stigma and build businesses
Monday, January 30, 2017
A series of entrepreneurship trainings developed by UN Women has equipped women living with HIV and AIDS with essential social and economic skills in Karamoja, Uganda.
From where I stand: Chum Sopha
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Chum Sopha, now 29, works with HIV-positive women in Roka Village in north-west Cambodia.
World AIDS Day Statement: For young women, inequality is deadly
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
For young women, inequality is deadly—Statement by UN Women on World AIDS Day, 1 December 2016
From where I stand: Natalia Minayeva
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
On World AIDS Day, we highlight the story of Natalia Minayeva from Kazakhstan, who was imprisoned in the so-called “AIDS barracks” and now works to protect the rights of HIV-positive women.
Bringing women’s needs into policy response on drug use
Thursday, June 23, 2016
While men make up most of those using or trafficking drugs, women are often the invisible participants and victims—one out of three drug users is a woman, and only one out of five drug users in treatment is a woman. Ahead of the International Day against Drug Use and Illicit Trafficking, a spotlight on drug use among women and UN Women's related programmes.
Statement by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka for World AIDS Day
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
In her statement for World AIDS day, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka highlights the importance of breaking down barriers that stop women and girls demanding health care services and realizing their rights.
Fast-tracking the end of the AIDS epidemic for women
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Ahead of the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa, UN Women together with partners, organized a women’s pre-conference under the theme “Fast-tracking the end of the AIDS epidemic for women in the post-2015 development framework.”
Executive Director brings orange to the iconic Nelson Mandela bridge in South Africa
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
On 1 December, United Nations Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of UN Women Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka visited her home country of South Africa, of which she is also former Deputy President.
UN Women to highlight the unique barriers to treatment faced by women living with HIV/AIDS
Thursday, July 16, 2015
At the pivotal International AIDS Society Conference in Vancouver, Canada from 19-22 July, the focus will be on HIV care and treatment as new data highlights the effectiveness of earlier treatment initiation. Commissioned by UN Women, AVAC, ATHENA network and Salamander Trust will present initial findings from a new global review of the status of access to care and antiretroviral therapy (ART) for women living with HIV. Unique in its methodology, the study was designed and governed by women...
Girls kick violence with Grassroot Soccer
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka visits a Primary School in Khayelitsha to see the impact of a male-founded sports-based programme which fosters girls’ empowerment and addresses violence against women.
Inspiring and advocating for women living with HIV in Kazakhstan
Friday, April 24, 2015
In the face of quickly rising rates of HIV infection in Central Asia, UN Women is supporting a network of women living with HIV in Kazakhstan and increasing their role in decision-making.