The International Community of Women living with HIV Eastern Africa (ICWEA) took part at the International Conference on Fast-Tracking Social Protection to end AIDS that was held on April 25th and 26th 2018 in Geneva – Switzerland. The conference was coordinated and organized by UNAIDS – Geneva and supported by Aidsfond, UNICEF, WFP and UNAIDS. ICWEA was represented by the Business development Manager who presented on the topic “Perspectives of Women living with HIV” under session 3 titled “Building Bridges: Priorities for Partnering on HIV and social protection”. The conference was a follow-up to a related training that took place in Johannesburg – South Africa. Uganda was represented by ICWEA, UNAIDS (Uganda) and UAC.
Social protection in this context refers to “all public and private initiatives that provide income or consumption transfers to the poor, protect the vulnerable against livelihood risks, and enhance the social status and rights of the marginalized (including women living with HIV); with the overall objective of reducing the economic and social vulnerability of poor, vulnerable and marginalized groups.
Social protection is known to reduce disadvantages and inequalities that make people susceptible to HIV infection, help overcome barriers to access to treatment, and mitigate the impact of HIV on household poverty and social exclusion. It is particularly relevant to HIV because of its ability to address issues such as gender inequality, HIV-related stigma, and discrimination that exacerbate the marginalization and vulnerability faced by key populations at high risk of infection.
Social protection is considered HIV sensitive when it is inclusive of people who are either at risk of HIV infection or susceptible to the consequences of HIV. HIV-sensitive social protection can be grouped into three broad categories of interventions: i.e. Financial protection through predictable transfers of cash, food, or other transfers for those affected by HIV and those who are most vulnerable; Programmes that support access to affordable quality services, including treatment, health, and education services through for example social health insurance and school fees exemption; and Policies, legislation and regulation to meet the needs and uphold the rights of the most vulnerable and excluded.
The above processes are intended to support Uganda to conduct HIV-Social Protection assessment. Uganda is in the final stages of conducting the HIV-Social Protection assessment, and the process is being spearheaded by the Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development in partnership with ICWEA, UAC and UNAIDS Uganda with financial support from UNICEF and UNAIDS. The assessment provides countries and communities with tailored analysis on HIV and social protection services in the country. A copy of the assessment tool can be accessed on http://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/HIV-social-protection-assessment-tool_en.pdf
Countries like Zambia and Zimbabwe in Africa that implemented HIV sensitive social protection programmes indicates that the benefits are enormous and other countries like Uganda and other East African Countries ought to move in the same direction. It should be noted that social protection programmes like SAGE are on in Uganda; but what remains is to make them HIV sensitive.
