Document

World YWCA

Ecumenical movement
15 November 2002
Health
AIDS (Disease)
Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA)

Geneva, Switzerland, November 2002 

Reaffirming the World YWCA Strategic Plan and recognizing that the HIV/AIDS pandemic is ravaging populations all over the world, with conditions worsening daily on the continent of Africa, the World YWCA Executive Committee recommends that the halt of the spread of HIV/AIDS be made a major movement-wide priority over the next four years. Specific recommended measures are: 

  1. That funds be sought to ensure that YWCAs are able to develop or strengthen HIV/AIDS prevention, education and/or care programmes. These programmes should be gender related and could include:

    • Poverty alleviation

    • Programmes for women who have been affected by HIV/AIDS

    • Information, education, and communication 

    • Counselling

    • Preventative health care

    • Caring for children whose parents have AIDS and AIDS orphans

    • Life skills training for youth

    • Programmes on sexuality

    • Programmes on policy in the workplace 

  1. As well as programmatic responses, that all YWCAs join and/or initiate networks to lobby for effective, gender sensitive government policies to contain the spread of HIV/AIDS and ensure availability of medicines and care for victims. 

That YWCAs at all levels and the World office actively seek and participate in training workshops and conferences and that those who participate in these trainings endeavour to communicate what they have learned through the web, forums, and publications and replicate the training in as many settings as possible.

World YWCA
Executive Committee
HIV/AIDS Policy 

Geneva, Switzerland, November 2002 

The World YWCA is an international volunteer membership movement uniting some 25 million women working in over 100 countries. Its purpose it to develop the leadership and collective power of women and girls around the world to achieve human rights, health, security, dignity, freedom, justice and peace for all people. 

Aware of the consequences of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the life of women and children and the whole community, the YWCA is challenged to expand its responses and to discover new ways of acting responsibly to its dramatic spread.

The World YWCA believes that the priority areas for HIV/AIDS work should include:

  • The commitment to reduce stigmatisation

  • Prevention as individuals and communities

  • Provision of support care and services

  • Rebuilding community coherence

  • Creating hope for the future

  • Encouraging cooperative work with other organisations working on HIV/AIDS 

The World YWCA will advocate and act at local, national, regional and international levels to:

  • Enable women and girls to take responsibility for their own lives and to provide leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS;

  • Address the root economic, social, political and cultural factors that make women vulnerable to infection;

  • Expand and integrate HIV/AIDS work into existing health and development programmes;

  • Encourage and resource the development of new HIV/AIDS programmes;

  • Support education about sex and HIV/AIDS education for young people in school and out-of-school to increase their understanding in human sexuality;

  • Support the development of innovative HIV/AIDS prevention interventions that provide necessary messages, skills and support services to men and women;

  • Increase availability of support services and medication for people living with HIV/AIDS;

  • Challenge gender bias in existing policies and programmes, as well as promote gender mainstreaming in responses to HIV/AIDS; and to

  • Work in partnership and coalition with women and youth organisations, ecumenical organisations, governments, UNAIDS and other non-governmental organisations to optimise resources and to promote best practices.

Geneva, Switzerland, November 2002 

Reaffirming the World YWCA Strategic Plan and recognizing that the HIV/AIDS pandemic is ravaging populations all over the world, with conditions worsening daily on the continent of Africa, the World YWCA Executive Committee recommends that the halt of the spread of HIV/AIDS be made a major movement-wide priority over the next four years. Specific recommended measures are: 

  1. That funds be sought to ensure that YWCAs are able to develop or strengthen HIV/AIDS prevention, education and/or care programmes. These programmes should be gender related and could include:

    • Poverty alleviation

    • Programmes for women who have been affected by HIV/AIDS

    • Information, education, and communication 

    • Counselling

    • Preventative health care

    • Caring for children whose parents have AIDS and AIDS orphans

    • Life skills training for youth

    • Programmes on sexuality

    • Programmes on policy in the workplace 

  1. As well as programmatic responses, that all YWCAs join and/or initiate networks to lobby for effective, gender sensitive government policies to contain the spread of HIV/AIDS and ensure availability of medicines and care for victims. 

That YWCAs at all levels and the World office actively seek and participate in training workshops and conferences and that those who participate in these trainings endeavour to communicate what they have learned through the web, forums, and publications and replicate the training in as many settings as possible.

World YWCA
Executive Committee
HIV/AIDS Policy 

Geneva, Switzerland, November 2002 

The World YWCA is an international volunteer membership movement uniting some 25 million women working in over 100 countries. Its purpose it to develop the leadership and collective power of women and girls around the world to achieve human rights, health, security, dignity, freedom, justice and peace for all people. 

Aware of the consequences of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the life of women and children and the whole community, the YWCA is challenged to expand its responses and to discover new ways of acting responsibly to its dramatic spread.

The World YWCA believes that the priority areas for HIV/AIDS work should include:

  • The commitment to reduce stigmatisation

  • Prevention as individuals and communities

  • Provision of support care and services

  • Rebuilding community coherence

  • Creating hope for the future

  • Encouraging cooperative work with other organisations working on HIV/AIDS 

The World YWCA will advocate and act at local, national, regional and international levels to:

  • Enable women and girls to take responsibility for their own lives and to provide leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS;

  • Address the root economic, social, political and cultural factors that make women vulnerable to infection;

  • Expand and integrate HIV/AIDS work into existing health and development programmes;

  • Encourage and resource the development of new HIV/AIDS programmes;

  • Support education about sex and HIV/AIDS education for young people in school and out-of-school to increase their understanding in human sexuality;

  • Support the development of innovative HIV/AIDS prevention interventions that provide necessary messages, skills and support services to men and women;

  • Increase availability of support services and medication for people living with HIV/AIDS;

  • Challenge gender bias in existing policies and programmes, as well as promote gender mainstreaming in responses to HIV/AIDS; and to

  • Work in partnership and coalition with women and youth organisations, ecumenical organisations, governments, UNAIDS and other non-governmental organisations to optimise resources and to promote best practices.

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