Bridging the information divide video conference on HIV and MDGs
------------------------------------------------------------------
World Bank Institute
[Note: For members who intend to register for this event, or who
have any questions or requests, please send these directly to
the email given below - info@hdnet.org. Many thanks. To read
more background information on the MDGs, please go to the fol-
lowing link: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/\]
--
Enhancing the Local-Global Partnership in the Fight against
HIV/AIDS: Bridging the Information Divide
A 4-hour Videoconference Primer on HIV/AIDS-related Development
Goals and Major International Milestones in 2005/6
Linking: Accra, Kampala, Dar es Salaam, Pretoria, Nairobi,
Paris, Washington DC
On June 28, 2005
[**Please see the end of this message for details on how to reg-
ister for this event - DUE TO PLACE LIMITATIONS, PLEASE CONSIDER
REGISTERING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.**]
RATIONALE AND INTRODUCTION
The many international events and milestones foreseen during
2005-2006 will play a central role in determining HIV/AIDS and
related development policies, and consequently shape many future
responses to HIV/AIDS at the local, national and global levels.
Strategies to achieve the health-related Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) and the targets laid down in the UN General Assem-
bly Special Session (UNGASS) on HIV/AIDS (2001), for example,
require the support and involvement of many stakeholders, re-
gardless of the scale of their actions. However, coordination
and partnership among actors are crucial if those policies are
to succeed. For international targets to be put into action at
national and local levels, broader understanding and access to
key information, policy and financing opportunities must be en-
sured.
And yet, as we enter the international arena of the next 12
months, the significance and meaning of much that is about to
take place is largely outside the scope of work and understand-
ing of many civil society organizations (CSOs), as well as na-
tional governments.
Bridging this gap, and being in a position to appreciate these
events and policy opportunities, is essential if CSOs are to
play their vital role in implementing actions.
On governments sides, clarification on global initiatives is
also crucial for them to appropriately frame their political
agenda.
Finally, donors having set major international objectives for
the coming years need to ensure that stakeholders at all lev-
els are involved.
Information sharing on global initiatives is therefore of para-
mount importance in ensuring that goals translate into outcomes
at the national and local levels.
The forthcoming video conference (VC) aims to help bridge this
multi-level divide. By bringing together participants from rele-
vant sectors in five African countries, and organizations based
in Washington, DC and Paris, the program will first provide an
opportunity for basic information exchange, policy analysis and
discussion, then lead into a critical debate on cutting edge is-
sues that will contribute hopefully to the north-south consensus
that is sought in this landmark year.
AGENDA:
Participants: CSOs, government representatives and international
development practitioners (World Bank, UN agencies, interna-
tional NGOs, etc).
Format: Roundtable discussions and question and answer sessions.
Presentations of key stakeholders perspectives in the African
countries involved will help in framing the debates, and video
footage will be inserted in the discussion in order to sharpen
or illustrate the key themes.
The video conference will be recorded and broadcast on-line. Ex-
cerpts will also be part of a documentary on HIV/AIDS in Africa,
addressing the challenges faced by the international community
on this matter, in particular with regards to the MDGs.
Examples of potential discussion themes:
Civil Society - Roles and Needs:
- How should civil society be engaged in the HIV/AIDS-related
aspects of the MDG/UNGASS processes? How can civil society be
more involved in national-level policy design?
- How do they take advantage from global and national initia-
tives?
- What are their own means which help on the day to day fight
against HIV/AIDS?
- What constraints hinder CSOs actions?
- What factors allow for positive collaboration with national or
international partners?
National Governments Positions:
- What are the national contexts concerning the pandemic and how
are the various stakeholders involved?
- What policies are implemented, and how is partnership with lo-
cal and global partners put into action?
- What are the limits to national governments actions/policy im-
plementation and how can these constraints be addressed?
- How do they take advantage from global initiatives?
- What should be the common national advocacy priorities between
now and 2006?
The International Agenda and Challenges:
- Why are the MDGs important to health and how does HIV/AIDS fit
in the global agenda? Is HIV/AIDS sufficiently prominent in the
preparations for the MDG summit? How can these policy opportuni-
ties be more integrated with other international initiatives on
HIV/AIDS?
- What is the international community agenda regarding HIV/AIDS,
and what are the commitments made by various international do-
nors in terms of financing and policy implementation, notably
for the coming twelve months?
- What are the links between international organization agenda
and actions those organizations undertake on the ground, in the
targeted countries?
- How can civil society participation in these international
process be made more meaningful and representative of the work
CSOs do at the frontline of the epidemic?
TAKING PART
In each of the following five cities:
Accra (Ghana), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Kampala (Uganda), Nai-
robi (Kenya) and Pretoria (South Africa) videoconference facili-
ties will be provided on 28 June 2005 by the World Bank Insti-
tute and/or a local partner institution.
For further details, and if you are interested in taking part in
this event, **please email**:
stating clearly in which city you would like to participate. You
will be sent further information about where/time of the video-
conference in your city and a registration form.
Unfortunately, no assistance is available to bring people from
other cities/regions to take part in this event.
Due to place limitations, please consider registering as soon as
possible. For security reasons, only people who have returned
the registration form will be allowed in the World Bank and/or
partner premises.
This video conference is organized by the World Bank Institute
(http://www.worldbank.org/wbi), in collaboration with Mad Mundo
(http://www.madmundo.tv) and Health & Development Networks
(http://www.hdnet.org)
Submitted to AF-AIDS by:
Capucine Edou (World Bank Institute, Paris)
Email: cedou@worldbank.org