Are the HIV/AIDS concerns of women making it to the table of international HIV/AIDS conferences?
What ICW members said: • Women’s issues were cited in the opening ceremony as an area of primary importance, but in plenary sessions reference to gender was barely made. • Yes to some extent, but a lot of gender issues still missing, and some sessions dominated by men. • Sessions with an overtly HIV-gender theme tend to be poorly attended, and mainly by women – sense of preaching to the converted. (At the ICW satellite there was an attendance of only about 70 people, nearly all women, and more than half were already members of ICW or closely associated. One of the ICW panellists commented “We’re speaking to ourselves” This sentiment was reiterated by other ICW participants in their conference reports). • ICW members have a tendency to attend meetings that already have a strong gender focus or focus on positive women’s issues. There is clearly a greater need to join meetings which don’t have this focus to begin with and raise those issues to move them onto the agenda. Similarly, the ICW
