Working Group on HIV/AIDS Mainstreaming within Development

Consortium Working Group set up to explore and promote HIV/AIDS Mainstreaming within development.

Note: No longer operating (as of December 2006). Now incorporated into the 'HIV Policy and Practice Group'

HIV/AIDS has reached pandemic proportions in most developing countries, and in particular in Sub-Saharan Africa, and it is already threatening to reverse past development gains. Even in low prevalence countries, the potential threat posed by the hidden epidemic may be just as great. Consequently, the importance of mainstreaming HIV/AIDS, -that is to say-, recognising that HIV/AIDS, has to be taken into account in the formulation and design of all development policies, is now widely accepted.

Despite this widespread recognition, HIV/AIDS is still often sidelined within the development arena. Moreover, even among international NGOs, there is no uniform understanding of the concept of mainstreaming or how it relates to other related terms such as ‘integration’ and multi-sectoral approaches, which are often used interchangeably.

Members of the UK Consortium on AIDS and International Development believe there is a need for NGOs ‘to get their house in order’ if they are to take full advantage of the lobbying opportunities for raising the profile of HIV/AIDS within development in 2005 and beyond. To this end, a working group has been set up with the following aims and objectives:

Aim of the Working Group
To make HIV fully embedded in all thinking, policy, practice and advocacy within Consortium members in order to influence broader stakeholders

Objectives
1) To share and learn from the experiences in all areas of mainstreaming of Consortium members and external organisations

2) To develop a common understanding of mainstreaming and develop a mainstreaming model/framework

3) To develop strategies and models for effective monitoring and evaluation of mainstreaming policy and practice.

4) To influence policy and practice, both internally within member organisations and among external stakeholders.

The Working Group plans to run sessions where members will share experiences and approaches to different aspects of mainstreaming followed by discussion and debate. The first of those took place in December 2004 and generated lively debate.

Current Membership includes
ACORD, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, AMREF, British Red Cross, CAFOD
Christian Aid, Everychild, Healthlink, Interact Worldwide, IPPF, JSI UK, Leicestershire AIDS Support Services, Oxfam, Queen Margaret’s University College, Edinburgh, Save The Children, Tearfund, UK Coalition of People Living with HIV and AIDS, VSO, World Vision. Plus individual Consortium members.

If you are a Consortium on AIDS member not already involved, but would like to be, please contact the Consortium Secretariat for further information.