Integrating HIV and Gender Related Issues into Environmental Assessments in East and

Southern Africa

Benjamin Ofosu-KorantengUNDP Regional Center for Africa

Addis Ababa, Ethiopiabenjamin.ofosu-koranteng@undp.org

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HIV AND AIDS: A LONG WAVE EVENT

Despite all the achievements of the last decade, challenges around the following still exist:

o Low uptake of HIV testing,

o Need for innovative HIV prevention services

o Need for sustainability of funding

o Addressing the long term structural drivers including migration, stigma and discrimination and weak laws

o Interest is now growing in relation to the linkages between increasing HIV infections and large infrastructure projects including the extractive industry

AFRICA’S ECONOMIC GROWTH AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE BOOM

Africa focussing on the development of its natural resources (including the extractive sector) for which large capital projects are pre-requisites

Capital investment into SSA increased by almost 13% between 2012 and 2013

AfDB devoting more than 70% of loans to infrastructure

Large infrastructure projects feature in most NDPs e.g.o Mozambique, Uganda, Angola, Ghana,

Tanzania, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Guinea

2003-07 (pre-

crisis ave)

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 20130

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

No of FDI projects in SSA

No of FDI projects in SSA

Ernst and Young Attractiveness Survey, Africa 2014

HIV AND THE EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRY

HIV prevalence in the coal mining district of Tete Province (Mozambique) increased by 80% from 2009 to 2011 as the first coal mines started construction

Migrant miners aged 30-44 are 15% more likely to be HIV positive

A woman whose partner is a migrant miner is 8% more likely to become infected with HIV

Coupled with the TB in the mines

BALANCING THE GREEN AND THE BROWN AGENDA

Review of EIA legislation in 10 countries and pilot testing of an institutional self assessment tool (the EA Barometer) in 7 countries have revealed gaps in EA policy and practice:

The social (including health and HIV) does not currently attract the same attention by developers, regulators, practitioners due to:-

o Low capacities

o Narrow definition of the term environment

o Unwillingness of developers to invest in social assessments and interventions

o Weak monitoring of mitigation plans

THE GOAL AND OBJECTIVES OF THE UNDP/AFDB PROJECT

Increase awareness of decision makers, CSO and environmental assessment practitioners on the HIV/large infrastructure links

Assist officials who plan, administer and manage

impact assessments to also consider gender and health (HIV)

Assist environmental assessment practitioners to work closely with NAA, MoH, Gender related institutions, Human Rght organizations, CSOs in properly assessing HIV and gender impacts

Strengthen existing legal and institutional frameworks and EA practice to ensure that HIV and gender-related issues are better integrated

Enhanced ability of governments and key

EA actors to better integrate gender and

health (HIV) issues into the management of

Environmental Assessment processes.

SO WHAT HAVE WE DONE SO FAR? Reviewed legislation in 10 countries AND Held high level

advocacy workshops in 8 ESA countries (2011)

Development of a guideline launched jointly by UNDP & AfDB and ToT sessions covering almost 200 government officials from 10 countries conducted (2012/2013)

Trained EIA experts (from the private sector) in partnership with IAIASA (2013)

50 CSO sectors of SANAC trained (2014)

8 countries involved in the project: With AfDB, project will scale up to cover 20 countries

PARTNERS

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CHALLENGES AND WAY FORWARD

Challenges

Weak understanding of and a lack of willingness by developers to invest in social interventions

Confusion on the role of developers, government and civil society in terms of the planning, programming &execution of social intervention related to EA

Lack of general indicators to monitor social impacts and interventions within the EIA process

Weak accountability mechanisms

Way Forward

Awareness-raising at Africa Union & RECs’ level

Advocacy & Capacity Building for country and regional stakeholders

Strong partnerships between UNDP, AfDB and the AUC, UNEP, ILO, IOM, WHO,RECS

Revamping inter-ministerial committees on environment

Promote research to generate and share knowledge