O p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r d i s c u s s i o n

O p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r d i s c u s s i o n
The list of issues to consider is long and the task may seem daunting. However, it is important to
recognise that, in your capacity as a manager/specialist for a development cooperation agency, you often have
the opportunity to participate in discussions and debates that involve a variety of stakeholders at senior and
middle-level management and that you have the possibility to bring up HIV- and AIDS-related issues. This puts
you in a privileged position.
In addition, it is important to realise that you do not always need to be asking the question personally. Some of the
information you need may be contained in documentation; you may be able to obtain other information through
colleagues working in the same fi eld. Still other areas may require adding a line or two to the terms of reference of
a consultant or a study. It often helps to frame issues of HIV and AIDS in the context of broader issues, such as
funding, human resource concerns, quality of education or gender issues. Tool 6 provides you with further ideas
of possible entry points and opportunities for HIV and AIDS mainstreaming.
gQ u e s t i o n s f o r e x p l o r a t i o n
At which moments in the approval process for development funding by your agency are HIV
and AIDS offi cial criteria? Do you think this is suffi cient? What would you change?
To what extent have you mainstreamed the consideration of these questions in your work?
What barriers have you faced in asking the kind of questions that are listed above? What
needs to be done to overcome these barriers?
How is the impact of HIV and AIDS being assessed in other sectors supported by your
agency?
“Sector and general budget support make it more diffi cult to intervene on specifi cs such as
HIV and AIDS.” To what extent do you agree with this statement? To what extent are HIV and
AIDS specifi c issues?