Stegman PM, Percy-de Korte F, Mpotokwane L; International Conference on AIDS (15th : 2004 : Bangkok, Thailand).
Int Conf AIDS. 2004 Jul 11-16; 15: abstract no. E11060.
African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnerships (ACHAP), Gaborone, Botswana
Issues: The last two decades or more have witnessed rising HIV prevalence rates across most of the African continent. Yet, as mobilised as African governments have become over the period, and despite the number of AIDS related institutions put in place and the expanded policy environment, there has not been a corresponding expansion in the implementation of HIV/AIDS initiatives to meet the challenge. As the UN Secretary General lamented in his World AIDS Day address, "Today we have the commitment. Our resources are increasing. But the action is still far short of what is needed." Description: This paper posits that the lack of implementation within the context of national HIV/AIDS social policy is largely the result of linear approaches and methodologies employed in the policy development process. By considering the notion of resistance - presented here as social conflict resulting from the delegitimation of group/communities' lived experience - and using Botswana's recently developed National Strategic Framework for HIV/AIDS as a case study, this paper explores the role resistance plays in frustrating the development and implementation of meaningful social policy, and how the policy development process adopted by Botswana begins to address resistance through the medium of participation. Lessons Learned: While too early to determine the extent to which Botswana's approach has engaged communities in action based on the National Strategic Framework, there are examples of positive responses. Addressing resistance, giving voice to the voiceless and opening up policy spaces for equal and active participation in social policy development, is a process and not an event. Recommendation: Continuous engagement over time will be essential to relegitimate and authenticate local human experience, and to build the trust necessary to mediate social policy issues between the state and society in the context of a worsening global epidemic.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Botswana
- Disease Outbreaks
- Federal Government
- HIV Infections
- HIV Seropositivity
- Health Planning Guidelines
- Human Development
- Humans
- Policy Making
- Prevalence
- Public Policy
- Social Change
- United Nations
Other ID:
UI: 102278717
From Meeting Abstracts