Location: Kofi Annan Conference Room, UNAIDS, Geneva, Switzerland
The UNAIDS Inter Agency Task Team (IATT) for Social Protection, Care and Support will join representatives from governments, donors, academicians and civil society from 25– 26 April 2018 for the International Conference on Fast-Tracking Social Protection to end AIDS. April 27, 2018 will be a business meeting of the IATT.
The aims of this year’s conference are to:
- Strengthen the links with social protection and other movements for ending poverty and inequality towards ending HIV including undertaking HIV and social protection assessments.
- Intensify actions on social protection in line with the UNAIDS strategy, the 2016 Political Declaration and Fast-Track Commitments.
- Re-invigorate programming of HIV, food security and nutrition.
OUTCOMES
A conference outcome statement will be drafted advocating for:
- Stronger collaboration between the HIV, social protection and other movements for ending poverty and inequality.
- Increased understanding on the progress and barriers to attaining the Social Protection target.
- Strengthening knowledge programming and investment on HIV, food security and nutrition.
REGISTRATION
Interested participants should register by clicking here until March 26, 2018.
CONCEPT NOTE, PROGRAMME AND LOGISTICS NOTE
The conference concept note, logistics note and programmeare available here.
For details contract: David Chipanta, ChipantaD@unaids.org
BACKGROUND
The meeting focuses on exploring approaches for dramatically scaling up social protection programmes that increase access to HIV prevention, treatment and reduce AIDS related discrimination to contribute towards meeting the Fast-Track Targets. It focuses on understanding and breaking barriers that prevent people living with, at risk and affected by HIV including adolescent girls and young women and key populations in accessing social protection benefits Strengthen national social and child protection systems to ensure that 75% of people living with, at risk of and affected by HIV benefit from HIV sensitive social protection by 2020.
Areas to be covered include sustainable financing of HIV sensitive social protection, strengthening of monitoring of progress of HIV sensitive social protection, human rights protection, exploring approaches for increasing the effectiveness of combining social protection, cash, care and financial incentives on adherence to HIV prevention and treatment services, and cross sectoral coordination and management of social protection particularly around food and nutrition programming. It is now established that social and structural deprivation are key drivers of the HIV epidemic – including poverty, inequality and exclusion, income shocks, mental health distress, stigma, criminalization, homelessness and dislocation and interpersonal violence – and that the impacts of HIV responses depend on multi-sectoral investments to address these barriers to prevention and care.
While gaps remain, significant strides have been made – multiple studies and evaluations have been undertaken that explore evidence that social protection interventions can impact HIV outcomes but also has limitations. Significant work has gone into developing instruments and guidance that assist governments, donors and civil society stake-holders on monitoring progress of their activities on HIV and social protection and strengthening the HIV sensitivity of social protection programmes and other programmes for addressing poverty and inequality.
MEETING FORMAT
The conference will include plenary sessions by leading government, donors, civil society and researchers focusing on key emerging evidence and approaches.
The main conference thematic areas are:
- Collaboration between the HIV, social protection and other movements for ending poverty and inequality.
- Progress and barriers to attaining the Social Protection target.
- Programming and investment on HIV, food security and nutrition
CONCLUSION
A conference outcome document will be produced together with a conference report that will be used to advocate for stronger implementation and strengthening of national social and child protection systems to ensure that 75% of people living with, at risk of and affected by HIV benefit from HIV sensitive social protection by 2020.