Human Rights Project: Developing a Policy Review Framework for National Strategic Plans and Legal Obligations in the Context of HIV in Africa 2009-2010

Overview:

This project aims to examine legal and human rights dimensions of HIV and disability in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) through analysing the National Strategic Plans (NSP), HIV and policies in these countries. This information was made available in 2010 and is aimed to inform governments and relevant disabled people’s organisations in Africa. It led to the development of a Framework for the integration of disability in NSP on HIV which was launched by UNAIDS at the 2011 ICASA conference in Addis Ababa. A toolkit was also developed to review NSP, which was discussed in a HEARD and UNAIDS led session at the International AIDS conference in 2012 in Washington.

Objectives:

To develop a synthesis of core concepts based on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the UNAIDS human rights guidelines to develop an analysis framework and tool investigating the inclusion of disability in NSP and policies
To investigate the inclusion of disability in NSP of HIV in ESA
To investigate the inclusion of disability in HIV policies and legal obligations in ESA.

Methodological Approach:

Using a health policy analysis approach, the study includes the development of an analysis framework through a consultative process of a multi-professional research team. The framework and analysis tool are developed on the base of principals of the CRPD and UNAIDS human rights guidelines. We are conducting a desk review of NSP on HIV in ESA using the framework and tool. In addition, we are reviewing relevant policy and legal frameworks with regards to their inclusion of disability (and vice versa).