Losana Korovulavula korovulavulal@unaids.org

1. GOVERNANCE DIMENSIONS OF HIV/AIDS Losana Korovulavula korovulavulal@unaids.org

2. Purpose • Risks to Women (and Men) • Advocates/Champions of HIV/AIDS • What is the role of local government?

3. Why a gender approach? Men and women face: • Different risk factors; • Different impact of the pandemic Implications for care, strategies for prevention and coping mechanisms

4. HIV/AIDS affects men and women differently • Women • Drop out of school • Need to find food, medicines and other necessities • Women are more affected than men – burden (wife, carer and HIV-positive) • Strategies are more male oriented

5. HIV/AIDS affects men and women differently • Men also vulnerable due to expectation of • Masculinity • Number and variety of sexual partners • Self-reliant socialization • Men who have Sex with Men

6. Women and Girls’ Risk Factors • Biological vulnerability • Social and cultural vulnerability • Economic vulnerability • Not able to avoid risky situations • Sugar daddies, transactional sex, sex work • Lack of money to pay for prevention and treatment

7. How women and men interact

8. How women and men interact

9. IMPACTS OF HIV/AIDS • Impacts • Hinders development, heavy toll on families • Stretch resources of welfare and health sectors • Erase decades of health, economic and social progress • Women are hardest hit – triple burden • Increased poverty and hunger • Reduction in growth rate of labour force -affect agriculture, health, education, sectors

10. ADVOCATES/CHAMPIONS FOR HIV/AIDS? • Each one of us is responsible • Women as leaders in your communities • In your role as business/market vendors/workplace, councillors • HIV does not discriminate • It can affect your loved one – need to be advocates/champions • Provide information and break the silence • Be positive and open minded

11. WHAT CAN WE DO TO ASSIST LOCAL GOVERNMENT? • Advocates for change, champions • Speak to Local Govt and also do your part as a leader • Local Govt to listen more to the voices of the people, esp marginalised and meet their needs • Raise awareness and help to have better service delivery • Need to start questioning things and not accept readily; • Ensure that women and young people are represented when decisions are made • All leaders; Advocate for good Leadership • Hold Local Government accountable

12. WHAT CAN WE DO TO ASSIST LOCAL GOVERNMENT? • Commitment Political will and commitment from Councillors and you as Leaders Parental support and advice Everyone’s responsibility (leadership, support, care, love etc) The choice to be responsible is the first step to freedom and peace of mind

13. WHAT CAN WE DO? • Engage Local Government, church, sports and communities in prevention work; • Break the silence and talk about issues; • Involve men and Local Govt actively in HIV prevention work; • Ensure that people have a voice through development and participation • Get real and understand issues well in own municipalities or communities. • Change the way things are normally done and be adventurous and creative and try new things

14. A New Level of Thinking « Our current problems cannot be solved with the same level of thinking which created them. » • Albert Einstein

15. Insanity « Insanity consists in doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results each time » • Rita Mae Brown

16. Taking the powerful view(Transformational Leadership) • When something happens we don’t like, we have a choice of how to view it -- we can look out through the window at who did it to us or look in the mirror at ourselves looking at what we did or did not do. • Message: Transformational Leadership starts with you – the individual! • THE ANSWER LIES WITHIN!

17. Our Role • How do we empower our Local Government to be effective leaders in the midst of uncertainty and change?

18. VINAKA VAKALEVU