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UN AIDS envoy vocal on women's issues

    JOHANNESBURG

    The UN Special Envoy for AIDS in Africa, Stephen Lewis, has proposed the establishment of a new UN agency to protect women's rights, health and security.

    At a recent high-level panel on UN reform in Geneva, Lewis noted that women worldwide were exposed to ongoing gender inequity, sexual violence, HIV/AIDS, maternal mortality, armed conflict and a lack of economic empowerment.

    He said: "In the midst of this carnage of women, who are losing their lives in such heartbreaking numbers, there has to be something in the world that has a voice for them and an operational force on the ground that can respond."

    The new agency, which is expected to cost about US$1 billion annually, would merge disparate projects currently operated by the UN Children's Fund, the UN Population Fund, the World Health Organisation and the UN Development Programme.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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