It troubles me greatly to say that caring societies are in recession. We are bombarded with news and reports of increasingly terrible acts perpetuated on women. In South Africa according the Medical Research Council of Cape Town University, one in four women report being abused by an intimate partner – and every six hours a woman is killed. In the UK according to the British Crime Survey, a reported 80,000 women suffer rape every year2. Research from a number of countries confirms what seems common sense: there is a strong relationship between intimate partner violence and HIV status.

UNAIDS Executive Director addresses closing of Stop TB Partners Forum

Pot-banging for gender equality and universal access: scaling up our engagement with men and boys

Let me say from the outset of my opening remarks that if our hope is to put AIDS into the history books—we must take bolder action. Most important is preventing new infections. As long as there are five people newly infected for every two people starting HIV treatment—we will not change the trajectory of the epidemic.

When we explore the causes of Africa’s under-economic development, it is common to mention slave trade, colonialism, difficulty in accessing sea trade or inefficient institutions. However, experts in health and economics increasingly agree that it is infectious diseases that play the largest role in Africa’s underdevelopment.

UNAIDS Executive Director's presentation on the challenges of pandemics for Africa’s development. Opening of the 2009 HIV/AIDS Implementers Meeting in Na mibia. 10 june 2009.

Geneva, Switzerland 24 June 2009

Executive Director, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen. It is a great honour for me to attend the 24th Meeting of the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board. I am very pleased to address the board on the topic of HIV and mobility, and the importance of collaboration and partnership to improve universal access to a large and often under-reached population. It is particularly encouraging to see the topic of today’s important session is focused on universal access and people on the move.

AIDS Response

Madame President, Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,