Kampala — We, the participants from IGAD Countries together with Burundi, Comoros and Rwanda, meeting in a regional conference on Gender and HIV & AIDS in Kampala Uganda, from 27-28 November 2001, under the auspices of UNIFEM, UNAIDS and IGAD;

Recognizing the commitments to gender equality made at important international for a including; the African Development Forum, 2000; the Abuja Summit, 2001; the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly on AIDS (UNGASS), 2001; the Kigali Declaration of First Ladies of Sub-Saharan Africa adopted at UNGASS, as well as the efforts of the African governments in developing policies and strategies to combat HIV & AIDS in a gender sensitive and responsive manner;

Remain concerned about the threat paused by HIV & AIDS to regional development especially in the context of war, civil conflict, wide mobility of populations, increased poverty, gender imbalances and food insecurity.

Women and girls remain vulnerable to HIV infection as a result of gender based violence, particularly mass rape which is used as a means to subdue the enemy.

Note that women and girls continue to carry the heavier burden of HIV 7 AIDS with the epidemic's psychological, social and economic ramifications.

Deliberated on viable strategies for integrating gender in HIV 7 AIDS policies and programs; shared experiences on initiatives being taken to address the gender dimensions of HIV & AIDS in the sub-region and developed a consensus on gender mainstreaming in HIV & AIDS at country and regional level.

We identified gender dimensions of HIV & AIDS in the following areas:

a) Political will

- inadequacy of gender sensitive and responsive HIV & AIDS policies and programs, - lack of adequate representation of women in critical decision making structures and institutions, - inadequacy of sex disegregated data and resources for responding to gender dimensions of HIV & AIDS.

b) Prevention

- Equal access to information - Female control of prevention methods - Treatment and management of Sexually Transmitted Infections - Utilization of Voluntary Counseling and Testing - Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission.

c) Care and Support

- women as majority care givers - women and child headed households - skills and capacities of care givers - cost of care to household economies - household food security and nutrition.

d) Cultural Barriers and Concerns.

- widow inheritance - early marriages - condemnation of multiple partners (especially for men) - disinheritance of deceased's spouse and children - female genital cutting and skin piercing, and - other negative and humiliating practices.

Guided by our consensus on the need for a comprehensive and viable strategy for integrating gender in HIV & AIDS policies and programs; the Dakar and Beijing Platforms for Action; the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) as well as the ACHPR 's draft Additional Protocol on Women' Human Rights;

We therefore make the following recommendations: That,

1. HIV & AIDS Prevention, Care and Mitigation programs must be guided by principles of women empowerment, gender equality, human rights and participation of communities and women.

2. HIV & AIDS policies and programs must integrate gender.

3. Governments and communities must respond to the effects of gender based violence especially in countries of conflict.

4. Governments and other partners should undertake research on gender dimensions of HIV & AIDS as part of the advocacy and for gender responsive planning.

5. Governments and other partners with support from UNIFEM and UNAIDS should develop and disseminate guidelines and tools for gender mainstreaming.

6. IGAD countries together with Burundi, Comoros and Rwanda are encouraged to undertake and or to strengthen gender budgeting initiatives with a focus on cost of care for HIV & AIDS.

7. Governments with the support of international partners and key involvement of civil society are encouraged to develop gender related indicators for monitoring HIV & AIDS prevention programs. The Poverty Reduction Strategy Programs (PRSPs) should incorporate the same indicators.

8. Consideration should be given to develop a regional fund to respond to gender and HIV & AIDS as part of an affirmative action strategy for the Global Fund for HIV & AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.