We are currently conducting the Sexual Diversity Scorecard research on how governments are performing on issues concerning sexually diverse or lesbian, gay,  bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer people (LGBTIQ). We know that sexual  violence against LGBTIQs increases their risk of contracting HIV; stigmatization  limits their access to medical attention and interventions such as post exposure prophylaxis, and hampers efforts to get legal redress.

Unfortunately the lack of data limits evidence-based advocacy to hold governments  accountable for the human rights of the LGBTIQ community.  We are conducting      surveys to gather this valuable information.

To learn more about the surveys, read the questionnaire and participate please click on the links below:

The International Survey on Violence against LGBTIQs

The International Survey on Trans Issues

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi announced this week that South Africa’s Department of Health would be partnering with Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), an umbrella body representing South African businesses, to help strengthen government’s HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT) campaign.

Motsoaledi met with members of BUSA, where he gave them an overview on how HIV and AIDS is affecting South Africans and urged them to help government with resources to fight it.

During his presentation, Motsoaledi put more focus on the HCT campaign, which was launched in April this year and targets to test 15 million people by June next year.

He appealed to BUSA members for help “in cash or kind” to raise awareness about HIV testing.

Motsoaledi said he wanted business to help by distributing condoms or running a “massive circumcision drive”.

Click here to see more of this story by Gabi Khumalo.

Today, August 12, is International Youth Day and the beginning of the International Year of Youth, as proclaimed by the United Nations in 2009. The Year coincides with the 25th anniversary of the first International Youth Year in 1985.

This event is an opportunity for the international community to demonstrate its commitment to young people. In addition to a UN launch event in New York, there will be celebrations all over the world, which will highlight opportunities and challenges for youth in different regions and countries.

Recently, UNAIDS released figures showing that the prevalence of HIV has fallen among young people in 15 of the most affected countries. The news was even better in 12 of those countries, where HIV levels have decreased by 25% among 15- to 24-year-olds. The head of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibé, said young people were leading a badly needed prevention revolution.

Read full article on HIV and young people in the Guardian

Learn more about International Year of Youth

Vienna, 20 July 2010: The South African Business Coalition (SABCOHA) and AIDS Accountability International (AAI) today signed a memorandum of understanding which formalises a partnership focused on strengthening capacity in the South African business sector to evaluate and report on HIV/AIDS workplace programmes.

SABCOHA will initially work with AAI to provide technical assistance to forty companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) to improve the monitoring, reporting and evaluation of company responses to HIV in South Africa.

“This is an exciting opportunity for us to expand and strengthen the contribution of the South African business sector to the fight against HIV and AIDS,” said Brad Mears, CEO of SABCOHA. “By working in collaboration with an international organisation that shares our vision, we can raise the standards of accountability in HIV and AIDS management.”

SABCOHA and AAI will also jointly seek to secure funding for the establishment of an independent evaluation unit in the country for the rating of South Africa companies.

“Our partnership with SABCOHA represents a very important step, as we extend the focus on accountability in the response to HIV and AIDS to the private sector,” said Rodrigo Garay, CEO of AIDS Accountability International.  “We will be able to benchmark individual company’s response vis-a-vis other companies and compare engagement across industrial sectors.”

Over time, SABCOHA and AAI, working in partnership with other stakeholders from business, government and civil society, will develop case studies that will inform best practice in M&E which can then be used to implement similar initiatives in other countries.

Antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV/Aids. Photograph: Krista Kennell/ZUMA/Corbis

The United Nations hailed a breakthrough in the fight against AIDS with the release of figures showing that the prevalence of HIV has fallen among young people in 15 of the most affected countries.

The news was even better in 12 of those countries, where HIV levels have decreased by 25% among 15- to 24-year-olds. This in response, UNAIDS believes, to dogged prevention campaigns warning of the dangers of HIV/AIDS and the need for people to change their sexual behaviour.

The head of UNAIDS, which released the report ahead of next week’s International Aids conference in Vienna, said young people were leading a badly needed prevention revolution. But a change in tack was needed in the battle against the virus. ”We are at the defining moment now, where we need to reshape completely the AIDS response,” said Michel Sidibé. Rising treatment costs for HIV and the global economic crisis means “the world is demanding change. We cannot continue with the same response. It is not sustainable. It is very clear from public opinion region by region that AIDS continues to be a top priority, but they are calling for a paradigm shift.”

Read full article by Sarah Boseley (Guardian UK)

Invitation_Stakeholder_Meeting (pdf)

Invitation_Workshop_on_ Women (pdf)

All_AAI_Activities_in_Vienna (pdf)

The communiqué released on June 26 states:
“We reaffirm our strong support to significantly reduce the number of maternal, newborn and under five child deaths as a matter of immediate humanitarian and development concern. Action is required on all factors that affect the health of women and children. This includes addressing gender inequality, ensuring women’s and children’s rights and improving education for women and girls.”     Other highlights in the communiqué include:

FUNDING:
- G8 members committed to mobilize $5 billion of additional funding over the next five years.
- G8 leaders say they “anticipate” that, over the period 2010-2015 the Muskoka Initiative will mobilize significantly greater than $10 billion.

POLICY:
- G8 leaders will assist developing countries to i) prevent 1.3 million deaths of children under five years of age; ii) prevent 64,000 maternal deaths; and iii) enable access to modern methods of family planning by an additional 12 million couples. These results will be achieved cumulatively between 2010-2015.
- The Initiative includes an accountability framework and reporting.
- G8 leaders want this Initiative to give added momentum to the UN-led process to develop a Joint Action Plan to Improve the Health of Women and Children.
- The G8 will support country-led efforts to achieve this objective by making the third voluntary replenishment conference of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria in October 2010 a success. And, they commit to promote integration of HIV and sexual and reproductive health, rights and services within the broader context of strengthening health systems.

Read full summary from Women Deliver

The third Global Compact Leaders Summit concluded on 25 June. In the closing session of the Summit, participants adopted a “New York Declaration by Business” to renew their commitment to the Global Compact Principles.

Among other things, the declaration empasizes a strengthened support for critical development goals, particularly the MDGs, through core business, social investment and advocacy performed individually and in partnerships with civil society and Governments.

Participants also commit to increase transparency and dialogue, as well as engagement, with civil society and labour organizations in their work to advance the ten principles and support development goals.

Read more

Photo: Allan Gichigi/IRIN

Sarah Boseley -The G20 summit at the end of this week must address the need for safe abortion if it is to bring down death rates in pregnancy, as the Canadian government has pledged - and it must deliver on its former pledge to keep people with HIV/Aids in Africa alive.

Never have the deaths of women in childbirth and the fate of their newborn babies been paid so much attention at so high a level. Hard on the heels of the Women Deliver conference in Washington two weeks ago, luminaries, movers and shakers from the UN, business, governments and civil society have assembled in London for the Pacific Health Summit, which has taken as this year’s theme maternal and newborn health. Conversations are going on among people in a position to make a difference - from the largest pharma companies in the world to major donors like USAID.

And the moment it ends, we are into the G20 summit, where the Canadian government has promised to make maternal and newborn health its legacy issue. It wants the world’s leading nations to sign up to a plan which includes better training for health workers, better nutrition for pregnant women, nursing mothers and their children, immunisation, clean water and sanitation.

Read full article by Sarah Boseley (Guardian UK)

WHO

21 MAY 2010 | GENEVA — The Sixty-third World Health Assembly, which brought together Health Ministers and senior health officials from the  World Health Organization (WHO) Member States, concluded business and closed Friday evening.

“You reached agreement on some items that are a real gift to public health, everywhere. Thanks to some all-night efforts, we now have a code of practice on the international recruitment of health personnel,” said Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General. The delegates adopted resolutions on a variety of global health issues including:

Monitoring of the achievement of the health-related Millennium Development Goals
The resolution expresses concern at the relatively slow progress in attaining the Millennium Development Goals, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and at the fact that maternal, newborn and child health as well as universal access to reproductive health services remain constrained by health inequities. Member States noted that MDGs 4 and 5 were lagging behind and agreed to strengthen national health systems as well as take into account health equity in all national policies. They also reaffirmed the value of primary health care and renewed their commitment to prevent and eliminate maternal, newborn and child mortality and morbidity.

Read full news release (WHO)