Amsterdam, 17 September - The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gilead Sciences, the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and Aidsfonds have committed €32.5 million through to 2030 to expand access to HIV prevention for women and girls. The EmpowHER Fund aims to ensure that women and girls can access, choose and use HIV prevention options that fit their lives, needs and circumstances.
The investment comes at a critical moment. In sub-Saharan Africa, women and girls account for around two in every three new HIV infections. While highly effective prevention tools already exist and new options are becoming available, too many women and girls still face barriers to accessing prevention services, receiving reliable information, and making informed choices about their health.
A new era of prevention
"The world is entering a new era of HIV prevention, with more effective options becoming available than ever before," said Mark Vermeulen, Executive Director at Aidsfonds. "But innovation in science alone does not guarantee impact.”
Women and girls need access to services, trusted information and support to make choices that work for them. By investing in women-led and community-led organisations, the EmpowHER Fund helps ensure that prevention innovations reach the people who need them most.
"For too long, women and girls have had too few options when it comes to HIV prevention. Today, science is changing that. But new prevention tools only make a difference if women and girls can actually access them, afford them, and choose the option that best fits their lives," says Sjoerd Sjoerdsma, Dutch Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.
Communities in the lead
The EmpowHER Fund channels resources directly to women-led and community-led organisations that understand local realities, reach those most excluded and help translate scientific advances into meaningful health outcomes.
“The recent scientific breakthroughs in HIV prevention could lead to a dramatic reduction in new infections. It will take many organizations working across sectors to realize this potential and reach where the need is greatest," said Daniel O’Day, Chairman and CEO, Gilead Sciences. “Empowering community-led organizations that connect women and girls to care could be the bridge from innovation to impact.”
A unique partnership
An effective HIV response requires new forms of collaboration. No single actor can meet the scale and urgency of the challenge alone. The EmpowHER Fund brings together the Government of the Netherlands, CIFF, Gilead Sciences and Aidsfonds, combining the strengths of government, philanthropy, the private sector and civil society around a shared goal: expanding prevention choice for women and girls.
"No single organisation can close the gap between scientific innovation and real-world access alone,” Miles Kemplay, Executive Director SRHR at CIFF shared. “By bringing together government, philanthropy, the private sector and civil society, EmpowHER combines complementary strengths to help ensure that advances in HIV prevention translate into real choice and access for women and girls."
Looking ahead
The EmpowHER Fund starts with €32.5 million, but the challenge is much bigger. UNAIDS estimates that by 2030, 6.2 million adolescent girls and young women will need access to PrEP, including female sex workers and transgender women. The Fund aims to mobilise additional resources and contribute to reaching millions of women and girls with HIV prevention information, services and support.
Together, we can ensure that this new era of HIV prevention becomes a new era of prevention choice.
