Interview with Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF

Carol Bellamy, the Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is visiting Southern Africa this week to bring attention to the particularly "devastating effect" the region's humanitarian crisis is having on women and girls. She spoke to PlusNews about the recently established UN Secretary-General's Task Force on HIV/AIDS and Women, and the need for women to be at the centre of responses to Southern Africa's humanitarian crisis. QUESTION: How did the Task Force on women and HIV/AIDS come about, and what do you hope to accomplish as chair of such a body? How will it be different from other UN bodies dealing with gender and HIV/AIDS? ANSWER: We're just getting started and have yet to receive absolute terms of reference, but it will initially focus on Southern Africa and the implications of HIV/AIDS for women and girls, particularly during this time. We will be trying to address the devastating consequences of the food shortages and HIV/AIDS [and their effect] on women. I think the Secretary-General was moved by the findings of the recent mission by [Special Envoy on the Humanitarian Crisis in Southern Africa] James Morris and [UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa] Stephen Lewis about the implications of HIV/AIDS in Southern African countries, and particularly how harshly they were falling on girls and women. In sub-Saharan Africa, women are infected at twice the rate of men. I think the Secretary General wanted to put the weight of the UN behind some of the areas where there needs to be better information, so changes can be put in place to support women and girls. Q: But how do we move away from talking about the plight of women and translating current humanitarian responses into action? A: I think responses supporting women may differ from place to place and shouldn't necessarily be limited to gender-specific agencies. Q: So what kind of responses targeting women have UN agencies implemented during the region's crisis? Well, we know that when a girl has access to basic education, she is more likely to grow up to be healthy, she is more likely not to be a victim of violence, and she is more likely to raise her own family in a healthy way. So, for example, in a humanitarian crisis, because the response involves food and health issues, the WFP [World Food Programme] and UNICEF can come together in supporting schools through food from the WFP, and through materials and teacher training from UNICEF. That could help a girl get an education and, perhaps, not be a victim of violence. When caring for people who are living with AIDS, particularly women, the priority would be keeping them alive longer, in a healthy condition that would allow them more time to raise their children. Not only will this reduce the number of orphans, but the woman will be empowered to care for herself in a responsible way. Another response could be to make sure women are the first recipients during food distribution, so that not only does the family receive some food, but the woman herself gets some nourishment. There are many ways to target interventions that are supportive of the empowering of women and girls. Q: The impact of HIV/AIDS on women is nothing new, yet they continue to be sidelined. How do you now raise the profile of this issue? A: HIV/AIDS is nothing new, but the fact is that it is growing, it continues to grow in the world, it's a global issue. It has thus far hit sub-Sharan Africa to the greatest extent, but it is a global issue. So while we may know that HIV/AIDS exists, there is not nearly enough being done. Entire societies have to be mobilised, resources have to be mobilised. Countries in the North are not as energised around HIV/AIDS as they ought to be, because it's not a big a problem there. Countries in the South are affected, yet the leadership is very thin when it comes to fighting HIV/AIDS - whether it is the president of a country, its religious leaders, its civil society, or its private sector. Everybody needs to be mobilised, but it's important to understand that part of the reason this full mobilisation hasn't taken place - particularly here in sub-Saharan Africa - is that women are the hardest hit by the epidemic and they remain discriminated against, they remain second class citizens - yet they are the ones who are actually taking care of the families, taking care of the communities, who are tilling the crops. So if you want your society to continue to function, you've got to take into account the impact that HIV/AIDS is having on girls and women.