2022-05-16-UNDP-An_Advocacy_Agenda_with_and_for_Key_Populations_in_Sub-Saharan_Africa_30页_379kb

An Advocacy Agenda with and for Key Populations in Sub-Saharan Africa

This report outlines key advocacy messages from a 2021 UNDP and AKPEG workshop series to strengthen HIV programming for key populations (e.g., gay men, sex workers, drug users, transgender individuals) in Sub-Saharan Africa. The agenda focuses on addressing systemic barriers, improving data and management, and ensuring community-led approaches.

Key Advocacy Messages

1. Recognize and Scale Up Successes:

   • Replicate initiatives like PEPFAR’s Key Population Investment Fund to fund key population-led organizations.
   • Strengthen mentoring, data sharing, and national forums.

2. Invest Holistically in Prevention, Care, and Treatment:

   • Fund comprehensive programs beyond prevention, including structural interventions (e.g., legal reforms).
   • Ensure inclusion of marginalized groups like transgender individuals and youth.

3. Improve Management and Data Use:

   • Designate management as a technical priority, fund HR, and harmonize data collection.
   • Avoid lump-sum budgets and ensure accountability mechanisms.

4. Promote Key Population-Led Responses:

   • Leverage local knowledge by prioritizing indigenous organizations.
   • Ensure key populations have leadership roles and representation in governance.

5. Address Structural Barriers:

   • Make structural interventions (e.g., law reform, norm shifts) a funding condition.
   • Conditionally prioritize funding for countries resisting key population work.

6. Enhance Coordination and Governance:

   • Update CCM voting processes to reflect epidemic dynamics.
   • Promote equal partnerships between governments, NGOs, and key populations.

7. Strengthen Capacities:

   • Train duty bearers (e.g., police, health workers) and integrate key population expertise into curricula.
   • Develop peer-to-peer and South-South learning.

8. Leverage Regional and Multi-Country Initiatives:

   • Increase funding for sub-regional strategies (e.g., SADC, ECOWAS) to improve sustainability.
   • Align country-level programming with regional standards.

Critical Challenges

• Funding Gaps: International donors dominate key population funding, but national budgets cover less than 20%.
• Structural Violence: Criminalization, stigma, and discriminatory laws hinder effective programming.
• Data Deficiencies: Incomplete data restricts tailored interventions and accountability.
• Capacity Issues: Key population-led organizations lack resources and organizational support.

Call to Action

International donors and the UN must adopt a long-term lens on key population issues, move beyond project-based funding, and ensure key populations lead advocacy and implementation. The Global AIDS Strategy (2021-2026) provides a framework to align efforts toward reducing HIV incidence and advancing human rights.