For the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), contributing to the international
AIDS response continues to be a priority and mainstreaming of HIV
should be understood as a shared responsibility in all, or much, of
cooperation work. SDC promotes strategies and approaches that are
adapted to the local context and epidemiological scenario. It is
essential to use a culturally, and gender sensitive and appropriate
approach when responding to the epidemic. Mainstreaming of HIV can take
place in cooperation activities in various epidemiological contexts with
various aid modalities – through bilateral cooperation, humanitarian
aid and multilateral aid.
By «mainstreaming», we mean a process that
enables development actors to address the causes and effects of HIV in
an effective and sustained manner, both through their usual work and
within their workplace. It means «wearing AIDS glasses» while working in
all sectors and at all levels. Mainstreaming of HIV in the external
sphere should not be imposed on all cooperation work, but the decision
on which cooperation activities and actors to be involved should be
grounded on strategic consideration of the needs, resources and response
already existing, and the comparative advantages a specific cooperation
activity offers. All cooperation activities should, however, consider
setting up a workplace policy and programme in a participative way, in
order to ensure that HIV related needs in the internal sphere of an
organisation are being covered.
Objectives of the toolkit:
- Inform about approaches to mainstreaming HIV
- Provide
practical information on «how to do it» for those who want to start
mainstreaming HIV and help those who have already started to further
strengthen their approach
- Provide relevant information useful to
all continents, types of epidemics and aid modalities within SDC
(Regional cooperation, cooperation with Eastern Europe and CIS, global
cooperation and humanitarian aid) and for its partners
- Provide further resources for each of the essential mainstreaming HIV steps
- Share SDC’s experience in mainstreaming HIV with interested partners and contribute to a shared understanding of the approach
Further information:
Toolkit: Mainstreaming HIV in practice
Lessons learned from the evaluation 2007
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