Reducing vulnerability risks and impacts of HIV infection among women and girls as well as reduce the burden of care and enhance capacity for mitigation especially amongst women in context of HIV/AIDS. The HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa poses serious challenges to the overall status of women. Due to their caring role, women have had to care for ailing relatives spouses as well as take up responsibility for children that have been left behind. Again women are vulnerable to being infected by the HIV virus especially since they have less control over their sexuality and due to poverty, they remain more vulnerable to infection. The girl child has become more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS, with most infections being passed on from much older men. Increasingly young girls are being exposed to HIV/AIDS through traditional beliefs and practices, which encourage intercourse with young girls as a cure for the disease. Girl child headed households are on the increase as AIDS orphans increase in number.

1. Advocating and raising awareness on the gender dimensions of HIV/AIDS targeting Governments, civil society faith-based organisations, women and youth organisations, UN, private sector, regional and sub-regional bodies; 2. Building the capacity of Governments to mainstream gender and HIV/AIDS in their policies and programmes; 3. Promoting greater integration of gender and HIV/AIDS dimensions into peace building and conflict resolution; 4. Mitigating the social and economic impact of gender dimensions of HIV/AIDS, vulnerability and risks focussing on care practices; 5. Building the capacity of UNIFEM and its partners on gender and HIV/AIDS integration techniques and Skills.