Civil Society Platforms

Indonesian Campaign Platform

Indonesia is one of the round 3 countries and the World AIDS Campaign became involved in the country in 2011. An initial joint visit of WAC and GNP+ was made to Indonesia in May 2011 to establish links with the civil society and PLHIV network. JOTHI was identified as the main partner.

Senegalese Campaign Platform

Senegal is one of the round 3 countries and the World AIDS Campaign became involved in the country in 2011. An initial joint visit of WAC and GNP+ was made to Senegal in May 2011 to establish links with the civil society and PLHIV network.  AfriCASO was identified as the main partner.

Tanzanian Campaign Platform

Tanzania is one of the round 3 countries and the World AIDS Campaign became involved in the country in 2011. Initial meetings took place in June 2011 and the Tanzania AIDS Forum (TAF) was identified as the main partner. The TAF is an umbrella organisation which represents 57 civil society organisations and coordinates the activities of its members.

Malawian Campaign Platform

Malawi is one of the round 3 countries and the World AIDS Campaign became involved in the country in 2011. Initial meetings took place in June 2011 and Malawi Network of AIDS Service Organisation (MANASO) was identified as the main partner.

South African Campaign Platform

The World AIDS Campaign has been involved in South Africa since 2009, focusing on the Eastern Cape.

Our current work in the Eastern Cape brings together various government departments, notably Education, Health and the South African Police Service, with a range of NGO’s representing, among others, women, youth, PLHIV and traditional leaders. All these people and institutions have committed to working together in the fight against gender-based violence and its contribution to the spread of HIV in the province. They operate in an environment where the laws are high quality and yet the reality of implementation is not; for example, there is inadequate allocation of resources to effectively implement the legislation.

Using the principles of “treatment literacy”, the project is developing a community monitoring and report-back model, which will feed through to officials and politicians.

The first campaigners meeting took place from 7-9 August 2009 in Chintsa near East London, one of the two largest cities in the Province. The aim was to produce an Eastern Cape HIV prevention campaigners Road-map, and set firm plans for the next few months. Top of their agenda was the formation of a grouping of civil society interests to monitor Government agency responses to gender based violence and pressure for better performance when it is not up to the mark.

Moldovan Campaign Platform

An initial consultation visit was held by WAC’s Global Programme Officer in July 2009, identifying key civil society organizations with which to work. Potential in-country Project Officer candidates were interviewed, and there was liaison with key stakeholders to obtain a better understanding of the HIV epidemic and the response in Moldova. The UNAIDS country office support in the preparations for this visit proved invaluable.

An in-country Project Officer was hired on a four-month consultancy basis, and was instrumental in planning and organising Programme activities during that time, including the National Campaigners event and WAC involvement in the country’s World AIDS Day activities.

WAC held its first Moldova National Campaigners Meeting in October 2009, bringing together over 30 key stakeholders to discuss the concept of a national HIV advocacy platform. In addition, the participants explored possible issues for advocacy, which had been raised during the previous consultation visit, and looked at how civil society could effectively campaign to hold their political leaders accountable for their commitments.

Ethiopian Campaign Platform

The World AIDS Campaign (WAC) has been engaged in Ethiopia since 2009.

A consultation visit was undertaken in July 2009, in which WAC’s Global Programme Manager and Africa Programme Regional Coordinator met with the civil society umbrella body Consortium of Christian Relief and Development Association (CCRDA) and the Networks of People Living with HIV. An additional ten other organisations and agencies were also engaged in meetings and lengthy discussions; they included HAPCO (the National AIDS Council), UNAIDS Country Office, and PANOS. PANOS, which coordinated the visit for WAC, focussed on an understanding of the Ethiopian HIV epidemic, the place of civil society and how best to organise work in the Ethiopian environment.

Cameroonian Campaign Platform

The World AIDS Campaign has been involved in Cameroon since 2009.

WAC’s Africa Regional Coordinator visited Cameroon in July 2009 and met with representatives of ten national organizations, the UNAIDS Country Office and representatives of the National AIDS Council. This was followed in the visit programme by a preparatory discussion to devise a strategy for an HIV campaigners meeting. This workshop was organized in collaboration with I-Change, the Central Africa Treatment Action Group (CATAG), REDS and RéCAP+. These four agencies have become the key partners for WAC in Cameroon.

The campaigners meeting took place in October 2009. It attracted 60 participants from CSOs and networks of PLHIV from across Cameroon. The objective of this meeting was to bring together campaigners from a disparate range of agencies and locations, with a range of insights around the most significant HIV-related challenges in Cameroon, into one space to discuss and develop a coordinated campaigning platform and to agree on key areas of HIV-related advocacy and lobbying. The agenda focused on a combination of information provision and skills training.

The outcomes of the meeting were as follows:

Participants provided with the most up to date, understandable information available on the current situation in respect to HIV Universal Access in Cameroon

A campaigning and advocacy workplan for 2009 -2011 was developed

An agreed response to the pending drug stock out facing PLHIV.

Progress of the HIV Bill was detailed, and a campaign targeting parliamentarians to put the bill back on the agenda was developed.

Production of the Yaoundé Declaration, an advocacy tool highlighting five key areas of concerns that required action by government.

Follow-up has included engagement by the WAC Africa Regional Coordinator in a training program on advocacy supported by ITPC and CATAG. CATAG then organised a Central Africa treatment Literacy and advocacy program that WAC facilitated. A cross border collaboration plan was developed amongst the 10 countries.

Zambian Campaign Platform

The World AIDS Campaign has been involved in Zambia since 2007 supporting the development of a civil society platform consisting of the national network of PLHIV, women's organisations, youth groups, traditional Leaders and faith based organisations.

Nigerian Campaign Platform

The partnership between the World AIDS Campaign (WAC) and the HIV Civil Society network in Nigeria commenced in 2007, with a two-year partnership funded by the European Union and then UK DFID, which formally ended in 2009. Since then support has continued on a less intense level.

The first HIV civil society campaigners meeting took place in June 2007. The second Nigeria HIV campaigner’s meeting in March 2009 involved participants from various regions in reviewing their progress in promoting and campaigning around the country’s HIV response, with particular reference to the incorporation of the NGO Code of Good Practice in their work and the dissemination of the People’s AIDS Agenda – prepared by the campaign since WAC first became involved in Nigeria in 2007 - at the local and regional level.

Kenyan Campaign Platform

The World AIDS Campaign has been involved in Kenya since 2007 supporting development of a civil society platform consisting of the national network of PLHIV, women's organisations, youth groups, MSM groups, the treatment movement and faith based organisations.

During the first National Kenya HIV Campaigners Meeting in 2007, under a prior European Union-funded project, a steering committee was formed comprising NEPHAK, KECOFATUMA, KETAM, and KANCO. Within that group of agencies, KANCO was selected as the coordinating partner, with the approval of all stakeholders. A repeat cycle of focused consultation liaison, World AIDS Day activity and full National Campaigners Meeting was held November 2008 to March 2009. The second campaigner’s meeting focused on the engagement and experiences of HIV civil society in organizing and mobilizing actions for key events e.g. World AIDS Day. It also explored how civil society can be strengthened for campaigning and mobilization on HIV and AIDS to ensure sustainability of the AIDS campaign in Kenya and ownership of the campaign by Kenya civil society. A second-stage action plan was developed as an outcome of the meeting and the steering committee, with the support of World AIDS Campaign, has been following up on implementation. During the June 2009 Africa Regional Meeting hosted by WAC in Nairobi, the opportunity was taken by WAC Programme staff to meet with the campaign network.