A report released Tuesday at the UN's 2008 High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS found the disease is reducing capacity in all social and economic sectors in sub-Saharan Africa, slowing the region's overall development. "Securing Our Future," compiled by the Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa, estimates that by 2020, the nine most severely hit countries in the region could lose 13-26 percent of agricultural workers to the disease -- people who are also heads of households and parents of young children.

The commission presented an action plan calling for strong policy and programmatic efforts in the areas of prevention, treatment, and financing.

Some non-governmental groups were displeased that the report did not devote more attention to how gender inequality and violence against women are fueling the pandemic.

Considering that 61 percent of HIV/AIDS cases in sub-Saharan Africa are women and girls, "it is very disappointing not to have a strong focus -- or even a separate chapter -- on women, given the feminization of the pandemic," said Aditi Sharma of Action Aid.

"We are condemning the lack of action and resources to tackle the feminization of the pandemic by governments and calling on them to put in place specific programs with dedicated budgets to promote and protect women's rights -- such as the right to health and education, the right to inherit property, the right to land and livelihoods, the right to live free of violence, and sexual and reproductive health and rights," said Sharma.

Olayide Akanni of the Nigerian group Journalists Against AIDS said that while the report identified key drivers of the pandemic, it failed to provide concrete solutions. "It's not that the recommendations are bad," said Akanni, "but they are not strong enough and fail to address women's issues."

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