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OAS MEETING IN EL SALVADOR TO STUDY
IMPACT OF AIDS AMONG WOMEN IN THE HEMISPHERE

At a meeting that will begin next Monday in El Salvador, the Organization of American States (OAS), through the Inter-American Commission of Women, will begin studying strategies to confront the spread of HIV/AIDS among women in the region and to address the problem of gender-based violence, both issues considered aspects of multidimensional security.

OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza and the President of El Salvador, Elías Antonio Saca, will open the Thirty-Third Assembly of Delegates of the Inter-American Commission of Women (known by its Spanish acronym, CIM), during a ceremony scheduled for Monday at 9:00 a.m.

The meeting, which will bring together representatives from around the Americas, will launch the “Get Tested” campaign, an initiative that the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) will undertake in Central America to raise awareness among men and women in order to contain the AIDS pandemic.

During the three-day meeting, the delegates will take under consideration a report by CIM President Nilcéa Freire, of Brazil, and the CIM Executive Committee – as well as reports presented by the countries, the specialized bodies of the Inter-American system and the United Nations – on the progress achieved in the last two years on the prevention and eradication of violence against women in the hemisphere.

Participants will examine the Follow-Up Mechanism of the Implementation of the Belem do Para Convention on violence against women; hemispheric efforts to combat human trafficking; and governments’ compliance with measures to ensure parity and women’s political participation in decision-making. The delegates will also look at issues related to the rights of women and gender equality, and review the results of workshops on gender, conflict and peace-building.

The CIM Assembly, which takes places every two years, will also consider the work plan for 2006-2008, elect new authorities for the two-year period and adopt the Declaration of El Salvador.

During his visit – the first visit to that country since taking office – Secretary General Insulza will meet with President Saca and other high-level authorities.

On Tuesday, November 14, the Secretary General will travel to Guatemala, where he will meet with President Oscar Berger, Vice President Eduardo Stein and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gert Rosenthal, among others. Insulza will also participate in the opening of the International Anti-Corruption Conference, taking place in Guatemala November 15-18.

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Reference: E-239/06