NEW YORK - In response to the growing women and AIDS crisis, the UNAIDS-led Global Coalition on Women and AIDS announced today a five-city tour to educate Americans on the impact of AIDS on women and girls and the solutions that can save lives. The Tour will emphasize that local and global communities must join forces to deliver prevention, care and treatment services that meet the needs of women and girls, while engaging men and boys as positive agents of change. The Global Coalition also aims to engage businesses, foundations, faith leaders, academia, the entertainment industry, advocacy groups, and the media in this effort.

Today, 20 million women are living with HIV/AIDS worldwide, accounting for almost half of all HIV infections globally. In the Caribbean and Africa, nearly three out of four children infected are girls. HIV infection rates among women and girls in Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe are on the rise. And, in the U.S., AIDS is now the leading cause of death among African-American women 25 to 34, with HIV infection rates escalating among Hispanic women.

Headlining The Women and AIDS U.S. Tour: Empower Women, Save Lives is a dynamic group of international AIDS experts including Dr. Kathleen Cravero, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director and Dr. Geeta Rao Gupta, President, International Center for Research on Women; and women from the frontlines of the fight -- including Mary Fisher (US); Princess Kasune Zulu (Africa); Frika Chia (Asia), Gracia Violeta Ross (Latin America), and Michaelle Soliman (Caribbean) -- whose own lives have been personally affected by AIDS. Notable local leaders, celebrities, and community advocates will take part in events in each tour city.

"The Tour brings together inspiring women to highlight the impact of AIDS on women globally," says Dr. Cravero. "Efforts to reach women and girls are a good start but not nearly enough. In many parts of the world, women not only lack information, but also the social and economic options they need to keep themselves and their families safe from AIDS. "

For the Tour, the Global Coalition (http://womenandaids.unaids.org) has partnered with the M.A.C AIDS Fund (http://www.macaidsfund.org), the United Nations Foundation (http://www.unfoundation.org), World Vision (http://www.worldvision.org), the International Center for Research on Women (http://www.icrw.org), and the American Foundation for AIDS Research (http://www.amfar.org). The focus is on actions that directly reduce the vulnerability of women to HIV and increase their access to care, treatment, and support. These include ensuring access to education for girls; reducing violence against women; providing economic opportunities for women; protecting the property and inheritance rights of women and girls; promoting access to female-controlled and prevention methods such as the female condom and microbicides.

"The life and death urgency of AIDS challenges us to confront some longstanding barriers that women face in accessing prevention and health care services," said Timothy E. Wirth, United Nations Foundation President. "Only by expanding our notion of what we consider to be AIDS prevention can we expect to make real progress in the global fight against AIDS."

"Business leaders have a unique and essential role to play in changing public perceptions about the global epidemic, carrying messages that raise awareness and promote hope, and engaging new constituencies in efforts that help women and girls protect themselves from HIV," added John Demsey, Chairman of the M.A.C AIDS Fund and President of M.A.C Cosmetics.

Similarly, "The religious community must help lead the global AIDS response, particularly given the impact of the epidemic on women and girls," said Richard E. Stearns, President of World Vision. "We must advocate for the right theology in our churches and the right policies by our government, pray for people living with AIDS, the children they leave behind, and their caregivers, and volunteer our time and resources to organizations delivering essential services to people affected by AIDS."

The Tour begins in NYC (March 2 and 3), and travels to Nashville (March 3 and 4), Miami (March 5), Chicago (March 6 and 7), and culminates in Washington, D.C. on March 8 -- International Women's Day.

Activities on the tour will vary, but will include: a lunch with media executives in NYC; an inter-faith forum with religious leaders in Nashville; a youth and AIDS town hall meeting at the University of Miami; a public policy dialogue with the League of Women Voters and other women's groups in Chicago; and a Congressional women and AIDS breakfast in Washington.

For more information on the Tour, contact Jonathan Rich (212/532-0255 or
917/650-5697) or visit http://womenandaids.unaids.org/tour.

The Global Coalition on Women and AIDS is a worldwide alliance of civil society groups, networks of women with HIV and AIDS, governments and UN organizations. The Coalition works at global, regional and national levels to highlight the impact of AIDS on women and girls and mobilize actions to enable them to protect themselves from HIV and receive the care and support they need. The GCWA was launched by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS).

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS is the main advocate for global action on the epidemic. It leads, strengthens and supports an expanded response aimed at preventing transmission of HIV, providing care and support, reducing the vulnerability of individuals and communities to HIV/AIDS, and alleviating the impact of the epidemic.

The M.A.C AIDS Fund, the "heart and soul" of M.A.C cosmetics, provides vital support to men, women and children with HIV/AIDS. Since 1994, M.A.F has raised over $41 million primarily through VIVA GLAM lipstick, from which 100% percent of sales go directly to organizations worldwide that provide direct care services and essentials to those affected, as well as education, and prevention programs to support the elimination of prejudice and discrimination against HIV/AIDS-affected individuals.

Created in 1998 with a gift from entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner, the United Nations Foundation enables other to support United Nations (UN) causes and activities. The UN Foundation is a public charity that builds and implements public-private partnerships in support of the UN's efforts to address the most pressing humanitarian, socioeconomic, and environmental challenges facing the world today. The UN Foundation also broadens support for the UN and global cooperation through advocacy and public outreach.

World Vision is a Christian relief and development organization dedicated to helping children and their communities worldwide reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty. World Vision serves the world's poor regardless of a person's religion, race, ethnicity, or gender.

The International Center for Research on Women is a private, nonprofit
organization dedicated to improving the lives of women in poverty, advancing equality and human rights, and contributing to broader economic and social well-being. ICRW accomplishes this, in partnership with others, through research, capacity building and advocacy on issues affecting women's economic, health and social status in low- and middle-income countries.

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