In 2015 in Africa, 310 000 new HIV infections occurred among adolescent girls and young women between the ages of 15 and 24 years—approximately 6000 new HIV infections per week. In eastern and southern Africa, of the 19 million people living with HIV, women account for more than half (59%), and in western and central Africa 58% of the 6.5 million people living with HIV are women.

These statistics, and an appropriate response to them, were discussed at the Africa Gender Breakfast meeting, held in the run-up to the 28th African Union Heads of State Summit. The meeting was hosted by the Ambassadors to Ethiopia of Australia, Canada and Sweden, as well as the United States of America mission to the African Union, and was attended by the UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé, African gender ministers and representatives of civil society and the private sector. The purpose of the meeting was to galvanize the international development community into more urgent action for adolescent girls and young women.

At the meeting, the Australian Minister of International Development and the Pacific, Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, launched a US$ 1 million partnership with the African Union Gender Directorate. Half of these funds will go towards establishing a gender observatory that will produce annual strategic information on the status of women in Africa.

The Canadian Ambassador to Ethiopia, Philip Baker, affirmed that Canada’s international programming will have a renewed focus on gender equality, informed by its recent election onto the Commission on the Status of Women.