Publications

UN Women’s flagship report, “Progress of the world’s women 2019–2020: Families in a changing world”, assesses the reality of families today in the context of sweeping economic, demographic, political, and social transformation. The report features global, regional, and national data. It also analyses key issues such as family laws, employment, unpaid care work, violence against women, and families and migration. At a critical juncture for women’s rights, this landmark report proposes a comprehensive family-friendly policy agenda to advance gender equality in diverse families. A package of policies to deliver this agenda is affordable for most countries, according to a costing analysis included in the report.

The media has a critical role to play in correcting the myths surrounding drug use that has for decades, helped create an environment of misunder-standing, distrust and discrimination against people who use drugs. Drugs change the structure of the brain and how it works12 and yet drug use is seldom reported as a health problem. Media coverage has mostly been focused on law enforcement, with drug users often portrayed as criminals. This negative portrayal adds to the stigma and discrimination against drug users, discouraging them from accessing essential health services, including HIV prevention and treatment services.

Mandatory HIV testing and bans on entry, stay and residence based on HIV status not only do not protect public health but undermine HIV prevention and treatment efforts. For millions of people living with HIV around the world, these are repeated violations of their right to privacy, equality and non-discrimination and a constant reminder of HIV-related stigma. In 2016, United Nations Member States agreed to eliminate HIV-related travel restrictions. In 2019, around 48 countries and territories still maintain some form of HIV-related travel restriction.

Nepali women and girls are vulnerable to violence at the hands of their husbands and in-laws. The key drivers of women’s vulnerability to violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the migrant communities of Nepal include gender inequitable norms, the lower position of young married women in the family, poor spousal and in-law relations, and poverty. In this context, working with the family has great potential to reduce violence and improve the conditions of women and girls.

2018 was the first full year for UNDP of implementing a new Strategic Plan—a plan built to help countries deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals. At a time of change for the United Nations, UNDP worked with partners to help people get on their feet and stay there—meeting short-term needs while laying the foundations for a hopeful, confident future.

The handbook is built around a list of suggested areas for implementation that outlines practical school-based interventions to take when putting violence prevention measures in place in all areas of the school. The core actions refer to a set of initiatives that practitioners who are at school level can take directly. They are immediate activities that the coordinating team can already kick-off.

This report presents background information on Kiribati, its health-care system and the national epidemiology of hepatitis. It then details review findings and recommendations under each priority area of action of the Regional Action Plan for Viral Hepatitis in the Western Pacific 2016–2020: broad-based advocacy and awareness, evidence-based policy guiding comprehensive hepatitis action, data supporting the hepatitis response, stopping transmission, and an accessible and effective treatment cascade.

Since the 1980s, informal or clandestine sex work in the service or entertainment industry has spread from municipalities to small towns in most areas of China. Despite recognition of the important role of female sex workers in HIV and STD epidemics in China, limited data are available regarding their individual characteristics and social and environmental context of their work. Furthermore, most existing studies on commercial sex in China have been conducted in large cities or tourist attractions. Using data from 454 female sex workers in a rural Chinese county, the current study was designed to explore the individual profile of commercial sex workers and to examine whether the profile and sexual risk behavior differ by where the female sex workers came from and where they work.

The objective is to determine the prevalence of HIV and associated risk factors among female sex workers (FSWs) in border provinces of Vietnam. 911 FSWs in five border provinces of Vietnam (Lai Chau, Quang Tri, Dong Thap, An Giang, and Kien Giang) were enrolled in a cross sectional study.

Indonesia has a large population and is one of the top three countries, after Philippines and Myanmar, to have the highest rate of new HIV infections. Adolescent (15-19 years old) and young (20-24 years old) (AY) key populations (KP), including people who inject drugs (PWID), female sex workers (FSW), males who have sex with males (MSM) and transgender persons (TG), are extremely vulnerable to HIV transmission. However, very little is known about their socio-demographic characteristics, sexual risks, access to services, HIV transmission knowledge and perceived risk and HIV prevalence.