U.S. acting to link GBV, HIV efforts

Dec 13 2011

In this post in the U.S. Department of State's "DipNote" blog, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby and Melanne Verveer, ambassador-at-large for global women's issues, report on the relationship between gender-based violence (GBV) and HIV, writing, "The United States recognizes the importance of preventing and responding to GBV within our policies and programs -- to promote human rights, achieve global health and development goals, and advance our foreign policy objectives," adding, "It's essential to translate our high-level commitments into concrete changes on the ground and in the lives of those who experience violence." They conclude, "Linking GBV and HIV efforts is a powerful strategy for eliminating the structural drivers of each. Just as no one intervention can create an AIDS-free generation on its own, no single intervention will eliminate GBV. But, with the right combination, we are transforming commitment into action" (12/9).