ARE WE MITIGATING HIV/AIDS TRANSMISSION IN TRANSPORT PROJECTS?

1. ARE WE MITIGATING HIV/AIDS TRANSMISSION IN TRANSPORT PROJECTS? Gisela Geisler Principal Gender Specialist AfDB

2. Content of Presentation • HIV/AIDS in Africa • AfDBs approach to HIV/AIDS • Joint Initiative by Development Agencies to Mitigate the Spread of HIV/AIDS in the Infrastructure Sectors • HIV/AIDS mitigation in AfDB transport sectors • Challenges • Questions?

3. HIV/AIDS in Africa • An estimated 22.5 million people are living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa; • Almost 90% of the 16.6 million children orphaned by AIDS live in sub-Saharan Africa; • Infection rates vary between 24.8% (Botswana) and 0.7% (Mauretania); • In SSA around 59% of those living with HIV are female.

4. AfDB approach to HIV/AIDS • HIV/AIDS Strategy Paper (2001) • Assist RMCs to develop and implement multi- sector HIV/AIDS control activities; • Support UN specialized agencies; • Promote political commitment and synergy; • Support sector responses which promote decentralization, community participation and ownership.

5. Operations applied: stand-alone projects in health sector, both at country and multinational levels Mainstreaming mainly in social, agriculture and transport sectors Institutional capacity building; Technical assistance Support to multi-sector responses; Advocacy, partnership and alliances AfDB approach to HIV/AIDS (cont.)

6. AfDB approach to HIV/AIDS (cont.) • In 2008 (MTS) strategic shift of AfDB to infrastructure, governance, private and higher education sectors; • Concurrent shift to greater attention to mainstreaming HIV/AIDS in these priority sectors; • In 2010 Guidelines for Mainstreaming HIV/AIDS were developed: • The approach includes both external (projects) and internal (workplace) mainstreaming both in AfDB and in institutions in RMCs; • As the epidemic evolves the responses must remain relevant and effective. • Proposed activities must be time-bound and measurable.

7. AfDB approach to HIV/AIDS (cont.) Operations must consider: • How the epidemic can affect the success of a project/program; • How the project/program can contribute to the fight against the epidemic; Principles include: • Use of existing frameworks and institutions; • Continuous training/advocacy at all levels in the AfDB and in RMC; • Ownership.

8. Joint Initiative to mitigate HIV/AIDS in the Infrastructure Sectors • Signed in 2006 by WB, ADB, Afdb, DFID,JBIC, and KfW. • Seeks to strengthen inter-agency cooperation in combating HIV/AIDS in Infrastructure Sector; • Advocates mainstreaming approach; • Considers prevention and treatment;

9. Joint Initiative to mitigate HIV/AIDS in the Infrastructure Sectors(cont.) • Focuses on • large-scale construction projects which mobilize many workers, service providers and communities; • increased transport activity which might facilitate the spread of HIV infections. • Calls on use of HIV/AIDS mitigation clauses in bidding documents used for large-scale civil works requiring contractors to take appropriate measures; • Proposes • sharing of good practice; • up-scaling of initiative to include projects funded by partner governments and other development partners; • Joint assessments.

10. HIV/AIDS Mitigation in AfDB Transport Sectors Why focus on Transport sector? • Often imports large male foreign workforce; • Workers have salaries to spend and are away from home; • Local population is poorer and young women are vulnerable to promises of money and unable to negotiate safe sex; • Long-distance truck drivers have higher HIV/AIDS prevalence rates • Opens previously isolated communities

11. HIV/AIDS Mitigation in AfDB Transport Sectors • AfDB construction projects increasingly use HIV/AIDS intervention clauses in standard tender documents for civil works include for example provisions for: • sub-contracting HIV/AIDS activities to service providers approved by Road Authorities; • oversight and responsibility for implementation of HIV/AIDS activities with the Road Authority; • HIV/AIDS and STI awareness, prevention activities for workforce, their families and communities in the project area

12. HIV/AIDS Mitigation in AfDB Transport Sectors • Budget for HIV/AIDS activities; • A HIV/AIDS liaison committee including representatives of district government sector ministries, national AIDS committee, local leaders, women’s and youth leaders, local NGOs and CBOs and FBOs; • Participatory monitoring of project impact; • Action and monitoring plans; • Link into ongoing activities; • Training of peer educators and contractor staff; • Provision of care and financial assistance to AIDS affected staff

13. HIV/AIDS Mitigation in AfDB Transport Sectors • A number of AfDB road construction projects made provision for the preferential use of local work force and women to reduce risk of foreign workers; • The Arusha-Namanga Road Project in Tanzania carries HIV/AIDS information into the classrooms of nearby schools; • The Nacala Road Corridor Project in Zambia seeks to increase the impact of HIV/AIDS mitigation with gender sensitization and capacity building of community organizations. • The Wacha-Maji Road Projects In Ethiopia calls for a social sector specialist in the contractor management team to dialogue with communities, also regarding HIV/AIDS prevention; • One-stop border posts reduce border-crossing time.

14. Challenges • Transport sector is not enough – branch out to other infrastructure projects; • HIV/AIDS activities start too late and end too early; • Contractors lack sufficient social/health expertise; • HIV/AIDS activities are not sufficiently monitored by supervision consultant; • Projects do not address the economic vulnerability of many women.

15. Questions?Questions? • Can activities start before the workforce arrives? • How can HIV/AIDS activities be sustained beyond construction phase? • How can HIV/AIDS be mainstreamed in other sectors? • Can transport sector projects address women’s economic empowerment to reduce their vulnerability to transmission?