Organiser:
Atlantic Centre of Excellence for Women's Health (ACEWH) - Prairie Women's Health Centre of Excellence (PWHCE) - and Health Canada

Supported by:
International Affairs Directorate, Health Canada

Description / Focus:
Background: Experience in previous international HIV/AIDS conferences has indicated that while awareness of the integral role of gender in HIV/AIDS prevention, support, treatment and care is increasing, many people are still unable to incorporate their new understanding of the role of gender and diversity into their work, due to lack of skills in gender-based analysis (GBA). Furthermore, the connections between policy, practice and research relating to gender and HIV/AIDS remain weak and need to be strengthened if effective responses to the pandemic are to be implemented. The Atlantic Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health (ACEWH) and the Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence (PWHCE), together with Health Canada’s Bureau of Women’s Health and Gender Analysis (BWHGA), are well positioned to address these gaps through a skills building session on GBA and HIV/AIDS at the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto, August 13-18, 2006. The Centres and the BWHGA have a mandate and history of collaborative work, particularly in the area of policy relevant research. The Centres also work with their respective communities to ensure that their research is informed by the experiences of those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. ACEWH has been working in the field of gender and HIV/AIDS for over six years, both domestically and internationally, particularly in the area of gender mainstreaming and gender-based analysis. As co-hosts of the International Institute on Gender and HIV/AIDS in Johannesburg in June 2004, ACEWH worked with representatives from Southern Africa on the theme, “Strengthening the Connection between Practice, Policy and Research”. PWHCE has developed GBA applications, which have been adapted and adopted regionally, nationally and internationally. These most recently include GBA of current literature and federal programs for oral and dental health services for First Nations and Inuit in Canada, GBA for target populations for the Federal Initiative on HIV/AIDS, and a comprehensive GBA of the health status of women in Manitoba. Furthermore, during the past ten years, PWHCE has developed and deepened networks and associations with marginalized and vulnerable communities of women, especially women living in poverty, Aboriginal women, and women living in rural, remote and northern Canada. Together, the ACEWH with some of its international partners, the PWHCE and the BWHGA propose to deliver a key session that will build capacity in gender-based analysis with a diversity lens, and demonstrate the value of strengthened links between policy, practice and research. Session Description: The primary goal of this session is to profile gender-based analysis applied with a diversity lens (GBA) as an essential tool in HIV/AIDS policy, programming and research, and to build the capacity of participants to conduct GBA. The session will use scenarios and case studies that reflect a range of experiences related to HIV/AIDS. GBA is an analytical tool which uses sex and gender as organizing principles, or ways of conceptualizing information. It helps to bring forth and clarify the differences between women and girls, men and boys, the nature of their social relationships, and their different social realities, life expectations and economic circumstances. It identifies how these conditions affect health status and the differential vulnerability to HIV/AIDS for women and girls, men and boys. GBA provides a framework for conducting research and data collection, and analyzing and developing policies, programmes and legislation. The GBA framework should be overlaid with a diversity analysis that considers factors such as income, age, race/ethnicity and culture, geographic location, level of ability, sexual orientation, etc., along with sex and gender. Effectively integrating sensitivity to gender and diversity into all work relating to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support, cannot be done without highly interactive and hands-on skills training and capacity building. This session will make an important contribution to building capacity in GBA by working with participants to acquire an understanding of and practice in GBA. In this way, participants will be prepared to undertake GBA in the context of their own work. Objectives: The session has 3 primary objectives: 1. To increase awareness of GBA as an essential tool for developing and implementing HIV/AIDS policies, programmes and research. 2. To build participants’ capacity to undertake GBA as an integral component of their work on HIV/AIDS. 3. To demonstrate how GBA can strengthen policies, programmes and research, to be more equitable, inclusive and effective. Methodology: In focused small group discussions, participants will work through scenarios and case studies to better understand the relevance and process of conducting a GBA and the consequences of ignoring gender and diversity considerations in the development and implementation of HIV/AIDS policies, programmes, and research. The scenarios will be developed in consultation with international partners and our networks of community-based and AIDS service organizations to ensure that key issues and pressing needs are captured and reflected. Through the application of GBA in different scenarios participants will enhance their ability to integrate gender considerations into policies, programmes and research relevant in a range of contexts (e.g. resource limited settings, international contexts, etc.) and with diverse populations (e.g. Aboriginal peoples, women in poverty, youth, people residing in rural remote areas, etc.). After a brief introduction to the rationale behind GBA and the objectives of the workshop, small groups will focus on one scenario that describes a policy, programme or research project. Together, small-group participants will analyze the assigned scenario to answer the following question: Does the programme, policy or research described in your scenario consider gender and diversity? Explain and discuss in your group". Next, the GBA, Diversity and HIV/AIDS checklist will be presented. Small groups will be asked to review their scenario, apply the checklist and complete the following assignment: