Lusaka— UNAIDS has appointed Zambia National AIDS Network (ZNAN) Executive Director, Mrs. Elizabeth Mataka, as a member of the Global Task Force on Women, Girls Gender Equality and HIV.

“It is with great pleasure that I invite you to serve as a member of the Global Task Force on Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV. You have been nominated to serve on this group based on your experiences and expertise, and we feel that you will bring an invaluable perspective to the Global Task Force,” UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe is quoted as saying in his letter appointing Mrs. Mataka.

The Global Task Force on Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV consisting of 15 – 20 high level representatives drawn from participating organizations and governments and presided over by two co-chairs will have three working groups.

The Global Task Force will be informed by the deliberations of the three working groups, each tasked with developing an action plan for the following three pillars of the Action Framework:

1.      Strengthening strategic guidance and support to national partners to “know their epidemic and response” in order to effectively meet the needs of women and girls.;
2.      Assisting countries to ensure that national HIV and development strategies, operational plans, monitoring and evaluation frameworks and associated budgets address the needs of women and girls in the context of HIV; and
3.      Advocacy, capacity strengthening and mobilization of resources to deliver a comprehensive set of measures to address the needs and rights of women and girls in the context of HIV.