Due to the particular vulnerability of women to HIV/AIDS, UNDP is committed to promoting gender equality and addressing issues that relate to women, girls and HIV/AIDS. Power relations between women and men often leave women vulnerable to HIV infection and HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination. Women's vulnerability to HIV infection is often due to inadequate knowledge regarding the virus, lack of access to proper health and education resources, inability to negotiate safer sex, and lack of female-controlled HIV prevention methods, such as female condoms and microbicides. Women and girls are often powerless to abstain from sex or to insist that their partner uses a condom, often they are coerced into unprotected sex, leaving them at risk for infection by husbands in societies where it is common for men to have more than one partner. Most HIV infections in females occur either inside marriage or in relationships women believe to be monogamous.

The HIV/AIDS situation in the region constitutes an additional challenge to women, with growing rates of infection among them and increased structural vulnerabilities.

Empowering women to act in response to the developmental challenges of HIV/AIDS is a key piece of the puzzle both to the Arab women's struggle for equality and the region's response to HIV/AIDS. By improving their knowledge and facilitating their access to the appropriate and relevant information, UNDP will address knowledge constraints.

In order to reach a more gender balanced society, where women can make their own choices, Arab women need resources, empowerment and to be able to fully participate in their societies. They need equal access to knowledge, education, jobs, legal support and real options to live safely and productively.

The Symposium provided Women's organizations with HIV/AIDS awareness and the appropriate tools to deal with it, including strengthened capacities and enhanced leadership skills that will allow them to influence others.

During the meeting HARPAS also validated the translated and Arabized version of UNIFEM's kit 'Turning the Tide: CEDAW and the gender dimension of the HIV/AIDS pandemic' and defined together with all participants activities that could be implemented in the Arab region to reinforce women's empowerment, as well as mainstreaming HIV/AIDS in Women's institutions activities.

On August 28-30 2007, in the Sheraton hotel at 9:00 am, Yemen has hosted a workshop entitled "Arab Women creating the Future", organized by the United Nations Development Programme ( UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Japan Women In Development Fund (JWIDF).
Before the workshop on the 27th of August 2007 in Sheraton, a press conference was held to announce this initiative organized by the HIV/AIDS regional program in Arab states represented by Dr. Khadija Moalla the program regional coordinator. The national AIDS program manager in Yemen has attended with representatives from the ministry of health and population and the Japanese embassy. Around 35 journalists and media people have covered this conference.
In the opening ceremony, the minister of human rights in Yemen has attended with representatives of the ministry of Islamic affairs and Japanese embassy and the UNDP resident representative in Yemen. Around 59 representatives of the Civil Society non- governmental Organizations (CSOs), Human Rights groups, Women Living with HIV, Women Religious Leaders and Governmental Women Rights Agencies were participated in this 3-days workshop from Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, and Djibouti.
This initiative is a model of the important role, international partnerships play, in response to the challenges nations of the world face - which includes our Arab region.

This workshop is the first of four:
- One for the Maghreb sub-region.
- One for the Gulf area.
- One for the Mashreq sub-region.
- And one in Yemen- for the Horn of Africa and Bab Mendeb subregion
- In addition to a regional workshop that covers the whole Arab region, which will look, in particular, the traditional practices and their relationship with the spread of HIV, especially Female Genital Mutilation (FMG).

Dr. Khadija Moalla
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