The HIV/AIDS pandemic is continuing to have a devastating impact on Africa, particularly in the southern Africa region, where many countries have prevalence rates that exceed 20 percent. While political leaders in countries throughout the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region are making a concerted effort to respond to the crisis, executive branches in the region are struggling to meet the myriad political, economic and social challenges the epidemic poses.
In an effort to better understand how legislatures have responded to the crisis and to identify areas where assistance might be helpful, NDI in partnership with the Southern Africa Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF) conducted an assessment of efforts to combat HIV/AIDS in the 12-country SADC region. The program culminated in a November 2004 report entitled, Survey of Legislative Efforts to Combat HIV/AIDS in Southern African Development Community (SADC) Region, which concludes that parliamentarians are not taking full advantage of their constitutionally mandated powers to address HIV/AIDS crisis. The report also highlights areas where parliamentarians can become more active in combating the pandemic
Based on the survey findings, NDI began pilot programs in two countries—Mozambique and Namibia—to strengthen parliamentary leadership and outreach on HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care.
In Mozambique, NDI has supported legislators to conduct constituency outreach, and provided an avenue for citizen advocacy on anti-discrimination laws;
In Namibia, NDI organized a series of public-private sector forums to allow parliamentarians to learn about successful business-led initiatives to combat AIDS and to use these programs to develop new workplace policies;
NDI projects have helped to: bridge the knowledge gap between MPs and the executive branch of government; strengthen relationships between MPs and civic groups; promote dialogue and information sharing with the private sector; and enable MPs to carry out their oversight function on HIV/AIDS policy issues.
In October 2006, for example, Mozambican legislators visited Manica and Sofala (the provinces with the country’s highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates) to verify whether government policies were having an impact. They found violations of workplace anti-discrimination laws, bottlenecks in public funding and grossly understaffed health facilities. National AIDS Commission branch offices were ineffective and a publicly-funded home for HIV/AIDS orphans did not meet construction standards. During the visit, the legislators also held public forums raising awareness about how condoms can prevent the spread of AIDS and met with the relevant government officials to share some of their concerns they identified and identify areas where further follow-up was required.
Preliminary findings from the implementation of the projects will be documented in a final report to be published in September 2007. The report is expected to inform future strategies for lawmakers throughout the SADC region. NDI plans to conduct follow-on programming in Mozambique and Zambia.
Contact Information
For more information about NDI’s program on HIV/AIDS and governance in the SADC region, contact:
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