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Seminar on the impact of HIV/AIDS on land reform in KwaZulu-Natal
Hosted by the Southern African Regional Poverty Network and the Centre for HIV/AIDS Networking University of Natal, Durban
Scott Drimie
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Deborah Heustice
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[Briefing note]
[Seminar proceedings]
[Delegates]
[Annexures]
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Seminar proceedings
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4.3. Creating solutions
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The presentations provided valuable insights into the potential and real impact of the pandemic on the various land-related sectors that were discussed. However, these insights need to be utilised in a pragmatic manner in order to enable land and rural development practitioners to effectively grapple with this immense challenge. It should also be emphasised that although the issues and challenges have been distilled from the presentations and discussions for each sector, the epidemic demands a committed and innovative multisectoral response. All the issues raised require information and clear strategic planning around them for the impact of HIV/AIDS to be mitigated. Therefore four key policy areas were identified by the seminar as being central for making initial headway against the HIV/AIDS challenge. It was emphasised that practical considerations needed to be explored, as the challenges facing personnel involved in these sectors were immense.
The key policy issues identified by the group were:
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A need to integrate HIV/AIDS information (both existing and what will emerge) meaningfully into policy level work;
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Need for mechanisms to integrate our understandings and interventions and co-ordinate beyond each sector; both intersectorally and intrasectorally;
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How to start looking at the role of land workers in HIV/AIDS -
make practical links to current situation; and
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More community involvement: a more bottom-up approach to developing policies and programmes / interventions is needed.
Delegates then selected an area of particular interest and worked on these key issues. Ms Cousins asked that each group
"unpack" the issue they were tasked with by asking the following questions:
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Why and what is important about this issue?
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How can we take this forward? and
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What do we want to see happening - what does this mean in reality?
The following sections attempts to distill the important challenges facing each policy issue and to detail a “way forward” that is both realistic and effective. The various suggestions were brought forward by delegates, many of whom committed themselves to some responsibility to enable the seminar to create a momentum in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the land sector.
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