Southern African Regional Gender Mainstreaming Symposium 5 - 7 April 2005, Orion Hotel – Mbabane, Swaziland Call for Resource Persons/Facilitators Why is it that almost a decade after ratifying and acceding the Beijing and Dakar Platforms for Action , after the Convention of Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women , engendering 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 discrimination, feminization of poverty and ultimately feminization of the HIV/AIDS epidemic? SAfAIDS is hosting a southern African Regional Gender Mainstreaming Symposium in Swaziland from 5 - 7 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. Among approximately 100 participants from regional, continental and international arenas are expected to examine the relevance, effectiveness and efficacy surrounding existing regional mainstreaming strategies, towards a gendered and human rights based approach to HIV and AIDS policy, law and programming initiatives It seems that whilst the introduction of the mainstreaming process has been noble, its enormous implications and multiple influencing 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 appreciated 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 conversant in the following areas, and who would 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 gender, human rights, and HIV/AIDS, and the extent to which these have been ratified, acceded, domesticated and implemented in the southern African region • An international and regional Exploration of Gender Mainstreaming 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 gender and human rights transformation: how has mainstreaming influenced effective use of these tools? • Mobile mainstreaming : how have mainstreaming strategies influenced 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 regard? • Can mainstreaming create mass mobilization? How have mainstreaming efforts in the media, the arts and other similar mass mobilizing avenues affected development and HIV/AIDS in the region? • The role of mainstreaming in ensuring Meaningful Involvement of People Living with or Affected by HIV/AIDS (MIPA) FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Rouzeh Eghtessadi or Joshua Chigodora Southern Africa HIV/AIDS Information Dissemination Service Tel: + 263-4-336194/3; 307898 Fax + 263-4-336195 Email: rouzeh@safaids.or.zw, joshua@safaids.org.zw Southern African Regional Gender Mainstreaming Symposium Theme: “Has Mainstreaming become an Outlived Paradigm: Is it Protecting Women and Girls in the Era of HIV and AIDS?” 5 - 7 April 2005, Orion Hotel – Mbabane, Swaziland Symposium Announcement: Call for Participants Immediately following the 1995 United Nations Conference on Women, most countries adopted national strategies for mainstreaming gender into development initiatives. Non-governmental organisations embarked on a new formula for addressing gender inequality through the development of gender mainstreaming policies. This has been a generally accepted, undisputed approach to countering the feminization of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in southern Africa, like many other regions globally. Mainstreaming has adopted a posh stance in development circle, indicating an overall solution to issues of concern. It seems that whilst the introduction of the mainstreaming process has been noble, its enormous implications and multiple influencing factors were inadequately considered and planned for prior to its large-scale application. Significant debate has emerged towards determining whether mainstreaming approaches have worked, and if so then why has their impact not multiplied fast enough to counter gender inequalities hindering development, and if they have not worked, why not ? Why is it that almost a decade after ratifying and acceding the Beijing and Dakar Platforms for Action , after the Convention of Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women , engendering 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 discrimination, feminization of poverty and ultimately feminization of the HIV/AIDS epidemic? It is the recognition of these, and other, disparities that has prompted Southern Africa HIV/AIDS Information Dissemination Services (SAfAIDS) to host a southern African Regional Gender Mainstreaming Symposium in Swaziland from 5 - 7 April 2005. The Symposium is anticipated to draw developmental workers, gender, humanitarian empowerment and HIV/AIDS experts and activists, representatives of FBOs, NGOs, CBOs, UN Agencies, SADC bodies and groups/organisations of PLWHA, among other key stakeholders, to: • Identify gaps needing urgent redress in HIV and AIDS related gender mainstreaming efforts in policy and programming initiatives in the region, and facilitate subsequent countering strategy development • Provide a platform for networking between key organizations and bodies working around gender, humanitarian empowerment and HIV and AIDS – and thus facilitate coalition building towards integrated gender, humanitarian empowerment and HIV/AIDS mainstreaming responses regionally • Present an opportunity for meaningful exchange and dialogue around challenging and successful experiences of mainstreaming which synchronises gender , humanitarian empowerment and HIV and AIDS related efforts Sessions shall explore Gender Mainstreaming within the following context: • Successes and challenges of international and regional gender mainstreaming efforts: how practical have they been from an HIV/AIDS perspective? • The “Gender Triangle of Realities”, the voices of women affected by HIV/AIDS • Is gender mainstreaming static or dynamic: do we need a paradigm shift ? • Has mainstreaming promoted the status of women and girls or has it overshadowed their fundamental needs? • Harnessing the dynamics of culture, tradition and religion • Linking gender based- violence and HIV/AIDS • Accelerating universal access to HIV/AIDS related treatment for women and girls in southern Africa • Policy and Legal Reform as Tools in supporting effective gender and humanitarian empowerment transformation • Mobile mainstreaming: how have mainstreaming strategies influenced risk of women and girls in mobile/migrant populations to HIV infection? • Mainstreaming in a humanitarian empowerment vacuum: Is this feasible? • Women and Leadership: Mainstreaming begins at birth...leadership cuts across the life-span of woman, so does risk of HIV infection ! • Creating mass mobilization: How have mainstreaming efforts in media, the performing arts and similar mass mobilizing avenues affected HIV infection? • The role of mainstreaming in ensuring Meaningful Involvement of People Living with or Affected by HIV/AIDS (MIPA) The Symposium shall provide a friendly and relaxed environment to discuss critical issues around Gender Mainstreaming and HIV/AIDS, examining the relevance, effectiveness and efficacy surrounding existing mainstreaming strategies. Parallel sessions shall allow participants to focus on their specific area of interest. This Symposium is anticipated to move our thinking and responses to gender issues, influencing the direction of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, to a level demanding prompt and efficient results and impacts. Debates and dialogue at the Symposiums are expected to generate concrete lines of action and strategic designs, elevating current engendered practices in responding to HIV/AIDS, towards a truly regional agenda. Symposium Details • Participants are expected to arrive by the evening of 4th of April and depart anytime after the evening of the 7th April 2005 • No registration fees shall be charged • Participants shall pay for their travel and accommodation expenses for the duration of the Symposium. The Symposium shall be held at the Orion Hotel (4 Star), 73 km outside Mbabane, Swaziland. A special package is being offered by the Orion Hotel for participants of this Symposium: USD130/night, including all meals and accommodation • The official language of the Symposium shall be English FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Rouzeh Eghtessadi or Joshua Chigodora Southern Africa HIV/AIDS Information Dissemination Service Tel: + 263 4 336194/3; 307898 Fax + 263 4 336195 Email: rouzeh@safaids.or.zw, joshua@safaids.org.zw