Briefing Note:
With Women Worldwide—A Compact to End HIV/AIDS

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In every region of the world, more women are living with HIV than ever before. The With Women Worldwide Compact is an action agenda designed to compel the policy changes needed to prevent increasing HIV infections in women and young people, and ensure their equitable access to treatment, care, and support. The Compact was developed at a global meeting convened by the International Women's Health Coalition (IWHC) in 2005, which brought together 28 women from seven constituencies.

THE WITH WOMEN WORLDWIDE ACTION AGENDA

• Redefine "high risk": Recognize that girls and women are at serious and increasing risk of HIV and provide appropriate services and support
  
  
• Engage women in decision-making: Ensure that women are integrally involved at the highest levels so that policies reflect their needs and realities
  
  
• Exercise leadership on SRRH: Prioritize reducing the risk and burden of HIV/AIDS for girls and women; promote policies and laws against gender discrimination and sexual violence
  
  
• Invest HIV-targeted funds in SRRH: Commit significant resources to SRH services that deliver prevention, voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), care, and treatment; rights-based sexuality education; and universal access to subsidized female and male condoms, microbicides, and vaccines
  
  
• Strengthen HIV/AIDS programs:
  
  • ensure access to VCT
  • protect against violence, stigma, and discrimination that may result from disclosure of HIV status
  • ensure access to equitable, sustained treatment through programs that are specifically designed to address the needs of women
  • increase funds to reduce women's disproportionate burden of care
  • provide funds for economic empowerment to reduce vulnerability

ACHIEVEMENTS

• Women leaders in HIV/AIDS, SRRH, sexuality, gender, the experiences of people living with AIDS, and human rights developed With Women Worldwide at an October 2005 strategy session convened by IWHC 
  
  
• Since then, the With Women Worldwide action agenda has influenced the 2006 United Nations (UN) High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS and the 2007 Commission on the Status of Women, and guided work at the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto, Canada. The recommendations contained in the Compact have also been incorporated into a number of HIV policy documents and into the work of many organizations that support its recommendations
  
  
• In particular, the Political Declaration from the 2006 High-Level Meeting, agreed to by 140 governments, reflects With Women Worldwide through strong new commitments to women's human rights, empowerment of women, comprehensive evidence-based prevention strategies, and ensuring that young people have access to the information and services they need to protect themselves
  
  
• UNAIDS has committed to including representatives from women's groups working on gender and HIV in all meetings organized by its Secretariat and which involve external participants
  
  
• With Women Worldwide, endorsed by 260+ organizations from 50+ countries, is the basis for ongoing  organizing

FUTURE OBJECTIVES

• HIV programs show tangible investment of resources in SRRH as a means to empower and protect girls and women against HIV/AIDS
  
  
• UN agencies take clear action toward such investments, and the Global Fund for AIDS, TB, and Malaria supports proposals from countries to strengthen SRRH as part of the HIV/AIDS response
  
  
• The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) reauthorization legislation includes strong SRRH elements
  
  
•  Corporations commit to and begin to invest in girls' and women's SRRH
  
  
• National HIV/AIDS programs increasingly collaborate to meet the needs of women and young people
  
  
• Programs provide HIV prevention services and/or comprehensive sexuality education, and document these examples and best practices for use by others

NEXT STEPS

• Participate in relevant UN meetings and commissions to ensure all current global agreements on SRRH remain central to the fight against HIV and AIDS
  
  
• Partner with local women- and youth-led non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to pursue the With Women Worldwide agenda nationally and locally
  
  
• Develop and support rights-based HIV/AIDS prevention programs for women and young people
  
  
• Advance understanding of the need for gender-sensitive, rights-based programs for young people and women, including comprehensive sexuality education, by documenting and disseminating such approaches
  
  
• Promote the Prevention Against Transmission of HIV for Women and Youth (PATHWAY) Act in the U.S. Congress and the HIV Prevention Act in the Senate
  
  
• Bring policy and program developments to light through global media and multi-faceted communications
  

Read the Compact>>