International Women’s Day 2011: Message from UNAIDS Executive Director

[Guest guest]

PRESS STATEMENT

International Women's Day 2011

Message from UNAIDS Executive Director Mr. Michel Sidibé

GENEVA, 8 March 2011—Today is the 100th anniversary of the International Women's

day and I salute all women.

There is much to celebrate and there is so much more we can and should do.

30 years into the AIDS epidemic, women and girls are still the most

affected—nearly 16 million are living with HIV and the number continues to rise

every day.

We must not accept this.

I hope for a world where; all women can protect themselves and their children

from HIV; all women have access to HIV treatment; and women and girls do not

fear rape, violence and HIV infection.

I hope for a world where there are Zero new HIV infections, Zero discrimination

and Zero AIDS–related deaths among women and girls.

We must make this a reality, not in the next 100 years, but now.

Contact

UNAIDS Geneva | Sophie Barton-Knott | tel. +41 22 791 1697 |

bartonknotts@...

UNAIDS

UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, is an innovative United

Nations partnership that leads and inspires the world in achieving universal

access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. Learn more at unaids.org.