[afro-nets] SAfAIDS Call for Resource Persons: Gender Mainstreaming

[Joshua Chigodora <joshua@safaids.org.zw>]

Call for Resource Persons: Regional Gender Mainstreaming Symposium
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By Rouzeh Eghtessadi, Joshua Chigodora, Harare.

Why is it that almost a decade after ratifying and acceding to
the Beijing and Dakar Platforms for Action, after the Convention
of Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, en-
gendering processes of the Millennium Development Goals, Maputo
Declaration on Gender Mainstreaming, SADC Declaration on Gender
and Development and various other treaties and conventions,
southern African countries continue to battle with: gender power
imbalances, gender based violence, gender based stigma and dis-
crimination, feminization of poverty and ultimately feminization
of the HIV/AIDS epidemic?

SAfAIDS is hosting a southern African Regional Gender Main-
streaming Symposium in Mbabane Swaziland from 2 - 6 April 2005.
The Symposium is anticipated to draw developmentalists, gender,
human rights and HIV/AIDS experts and activists, representatives
of FBOs, NGOs, CBOs, UN Agencies, and groups/organisations of
PLWHA. Approximately 100 participants from regional, continental
and international arenas are expected to examine the relevance,
effectiveness and efficacy surrounding existing regional main-
streaming strategies, towards a gendered and human rights based
approach to HIV and AIDS policy, law and programming initia-
tives.

It seems that whilst the introduction of the mainstreaming proc-
ess has been noble, its enormous implications and multiple in-
fluencing factors were inadequately considered and planned for
prior to its large-scale application. Until the cross-cutting
nature of gender mainstreaming is fully understood and appreci-
ated by all sectors and stakeholders in the development world,
and machineries remain fragile around the acceptance of human
rights as fundamentally important to gender equality, HIV/AIDS
interventions cannot adopt an effective and sustainable stance.
This is a call for experts and resource persons who are conver-
sant with, and will be willing to facilitate sessions or present
papers around the areas outlined below:

- A succinct overview of international and regional instruments
which have been established in view of gender, human rights, and
HIV/AIDS, and the extent to which these have been ratified, ac-
ceded, domesticated and implemented in the southern African re-
gion.

- An international and regional Exploration of Gender Main-
streaming Efforts, including how successful and practical they
have been, from a developmental and HIV/AIDS perspective

- Exploring a possible paradigm shift from the conventional
mainstreaming practices: what else could work?

- Has mainstreaming promoted the status of women and girls or
has it overshadowed their fundamental needs? - Harnessing the
dynamics of culture, tradition and religion: how have these
linked with gender mainstreaming efforts do date?

- Linking gender based violence and HIV/AIDS: what role has
mainstreaming played?

- How can mainstreaming accelerate universal access to HIV/AIDS
related treatment for women and girls in southern Africa?

- Policy and Legal Reform as Tools in supporting effective gen-
der and human rights transformation: how has mainstreaming in-
fluenced effective use of these tools?

- Mobile mainstreaming: how have mainstreaming strategies influ-
enced the vulnerability and risk of HIV infection for women and
girls in mobile and migrant populations?

- Mainstreaming in a human rights vacuum: Is this feasible?

- Women and Leadership: Mainstreaming begins at
birth...leadership cuts across life-span of woman, so does risk
of HIV infection. How has mainstreaming been useful in this re-
gard?

- Can mainstreaming create mass mobilization? How have main-
streaming efforts in the media, the arts and other similar mass
mobilizing avenues affected development and HIV/AIDS in the re-
gion?

- The role of mainstreaming in ensuring Meaningful Involvement
of People Living with or Affected by HIV/AIDS (MIPA)

Kindly forward your responses to:

Rouzeh Eghtessadi
mailto:rouzeh@safaids.org.zw
or
Joshua Chigodora, Harare
mailto:joshua@safaids.org.zw
SAfAIDS, Harare - Zimbabwe