Gender inequalities are now one of the main obstacles to progress in the fight against global pandemics. This is particularly true in the fight against HIV/AIDS. They fuel new infections, particularly among adolescent girls, and hinder access to prevention and treatment services. To overcome the pandemic, it is necessary to address the root causes of these gender inequalities, promote the sexual and reproductive rights of all, and support feminist organizations.
As Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, pointed out in his speech at the Women Deliver conference, it is time we learned to listen more closely to what girls and young women themselves have to say about the fight against HIV/AIDS, particularly by involving feminist organizations.
The role of France and its “feminist diplomacy”
France has a special role to play in this strategic direction. First, because historically, it has been a key player in the fight against HIV/AIDS, particularly through its leadership within the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which has enabled tremendous progress to be made in combating the pandemic.
Secondly, because France has been promoting a new form of "feminist diplomacy" for the past year and a half. This position involves defending women's rights and gender equality in all multilateral forums. It also applies to France's policy on combating HIV/AIDS within the framework of the Global Fund. The President of the Republic, in particular, must embody this French ambition and promote a global feminist vision that takes into account and links gender issues, sexual and reproductive rights, and HIV.
The French presidency of the G7 laid the groundwork on both fronts by increasing contributions to the Global Fund and making several political and financial commitments to gender equality. It now seems logical to bring these two agendas together.
A conference: “Towards a feminist approach to the fight against HIV/AIDS”
With this in mind, Equipop has been working for over a year as part of a collective of associations. On October 8 in Lyon, it is organizing an event as part of the Global Fund's pre-program for rebuilding: "Towards a feminist approach to the fight against HIV/AIDS."
This event will be organized in partnership with Solthis, an association with which Equipop has been working for several years in West Africa to implement an integrated approach to HIV prevention and unwanted pregnancies among young people. Its aim will be to reaffirm the urgency of integrating gender and SRHR into responses to HIV/AIDS and to discuss the contribution of feminist approaches to this fight, in a context of emerging "feminist diplomacy." It is expected to bring together Sweden—a pioneer in "feminist diplomacy"—and France, UN Women, the Global Fund, and several activists, particularly from West Africa.
Free admission with prior online registration.
In 2020, Beijing's legacy
Following on from the G7 and the Global Fund replenishment conference, France must continue to promote its "feminist diplomacy" in a consistent and coherent manner in all international forums. It will be eagerly awaited on these issues in 2020, as it hosts the "Generation Equality" forum in Paris in July, marking the anniversary of the Beijing conference. In 1995, UN member states, alarmed by the accelerating rates of HIV/AIDS infection among women and girls, committed to ensuring their participation in HIV/AIDS policies and programs and to supporting feminist associations. Twenty-five years later, it is time for these commitments to become a reality. France, in its position as leader of the G7 and with Beijing25 approaching, must provide impetus in this direction.
