UNAIDS International Women's Day 2024: Tabita Ntuli

Today, on International Women’s Day, we reflect on the sobering reality facing millions of women in South Africa. 2.4 Million - that's the staggering number of women aged 29 to 45 living with HIV in our country. Even more concerning is the fact that adolescent girls and young women between the ages of 15 and 24 are 2.4 times more likely to be infected by HIV compared to their male counterparts in the same age group. As we observe this day under the theme "Invest in Women,

 Accelerate Progress," it's imperative to recognize that women bear the disproportionate burden of the HIV epidemic in South Africa. So, how do we protect and empower society's most vulnerable? The answer lies in education and investment in women, in all their diversity. 

Through the Education Plus initiative, a collaborative effort led by five UN agencies – UNESCO, UN Women, UNICEF, UNFPA, and UNAIDS – with unwavering support from the South African Department of Basic Education and young people in all their diversity. 

This initiative champions a rights-based, gender-responsive action plan, ensuring adolescent girls and young women have equal access to quality secondary education, along with essential health services and support for their economic autonomy and empowerment. Research confirms that the benefits of girls completing secondary school extend beyond individual success. 

They include reduced vulnerability to HIV, decreased rates of child marriage and teenage pregnancy, and increased economic opportunities for adult women. Moreover, the ripple effects of empowered girls extend into future generations. Empowered girls become empowered women, fostering empowered communities. It's a cycle of empowerment that drives successful HIV responses when communities take the lead. 

Evidence also underscores the importance of gender-sensitive programs and policies, tailored services for girls and women of all ages, and efforts to combat stigma and discrimination. 

These strategies not only reduce new infections but also promote uptake of prevention and treatment services. Yet, despite our progress, we must acknowledge that we are falling short of meeting the gender equality and HIV targets set forth in the Sustainable Development Goals. 

While the evidence is clear about our progress and challenges, 

I would like to remind you of the call to action from our UNAIDS Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima: To protect women’s health we need to protect women’s rights. And to protect women’s rights we need to support the women frontline defenders of those rights. 

The path that ends AIDS is a feminist path, a rights path. On the frontlines are the heroes – sheroes – lighting the way.