UNIFEM brings gender equality and human rights perspectives to its work on women and HIV/AIDS. Highlighting the contributions and perspectives of HIV-positive women, and with an emphasis on reducing discrimination, the fund spearheads holistic strategies that make clear links to violence against women, feminized poverty, security and women’s limited voice in decision-making.

Pakistan in the last four years has moved from a ‘low prevalence’ epidemic to a ‘concentrated epidemic’. The government of Pakistan has identified injecting drug users, female and male sex workers and Hijras as the most at risk groups. The wives and sexual partners of these high risk groups are considered ‘most at risk’, along with prisoners, migrants, truckers, youth, and adolescents out of school.

Within the frame of the UN reform Delivering as One, UNIFEM is working to ensure that the gender dimension of the epidemic is addressed in the Joint UN Team on HIV\AIDS (JUNTA) and in the Joint Program on HIV\AIDS.

UNIFEM is strongly committed to reduce the process of “feminization” of the pandemic. To achieve this goal it is in the process of carrying out with UNAIDS a joint gender assessment of programmes and policies implemented under the National HIV and AIDS Strategic Framework and will produce a report with specific recommendations to ensure gender mainstreaming in the ongoing and future programming of NACP.

In partnership with PLHIV and Civil Society Organizations, UNIFEM is determined to set up a network of positive women who can lead the response to HIV\AIDS.