9-12 May 2004
Conference Theme: "Social Aspects of Access to Care and Treatment"
Cape Town International Convention Centre, South Africa
2nd African Conference on Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS Research Cape Town, South Africa
Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS Research Alliance (SAHARA)
The Human Sciences Research Council, is establishing an alliance of partners to conduct, support and use social sciences research to prevent further spread of HIV and mitigate the impact of its devastation on South Africa, the SADC region and sub-Saharan Africa. This Social Aspects of AIDS Research Alliance (SAHARA) is a vehicle for facilitating the sharing of research expertise, sharing knowledge, conducting multi-site and multi-country research projects that are exploratory, cross-sectional, comparative or intervention-based with the explicit aim of generating new social science evidence for prevention, care and impact mitigation of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on individuals, families and communities. This is to be done within the social development framework that takes into account the cultural environment within which human and social behaviour, and relevant programmes occur. We are beginning to bring key partners in the region, including policy makers, programme planners, researchers in universities and fellow science councils ( the Medical Research Council in South Africa), NGO's, community groups, donors and multilateral agencies to participate in a flexible alliance for social aspects of AIDS research, each contributing on the basis of its comparative advantage. We are building on existing initiatives (SAHARA West Africa, and SAHARA East & Central Africa) and starting new ones where necessary. We have already secured funding to undertake some of the activities. We now need to extend this further into South Africa, the SADC and other regions of Africa in line with the imperatives and challenges presented by the African Union (AU)'s New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD).
African Conference
The African Conference will be a vehicle to improve the effectiveness of the SAHARA and to integrate its activities more closely with those of other organizations and individuals active in HIV and AIDS control within the African continent, through sharing information on progress and experience on social aspects of HIV/AIDS research. This is particularly so in view of the increase in overall activity anticipated following the recent establishment of the Global Fund against Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria and other international initiatives to mitigate the problem of HIV/AIDS particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. It will identify the barriers to interaction between researchers and decision makers in government ministries so as to enhance the impact of research on effective programmes to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa. The conference will be a unique opportunity for African researchers to make inputs to a continent wide research alliance on social aspects of HIV/AIDS.
Indeed, the preliminary results that are available from different research sites in Africa may be especially valuable to inform the development of appropriate and comprehensive locally initiated HIV and AIDS control strategies. Leading researchers and policy makers, representatives of UN agencies, non-governmental health and development organizations will be invited to participate, offer their perspectives, and government officials to provide insights into the decision-making processes.
Thematic keynote presentations will be from outstanding researchers from the Africa region. They will be challenged to link research to a practical action agenda for HIV/AIDS prevention strategies that involve local communities and people living with AIDS or are affected by it.
The proposed nine thematic tracts of the conference are:
Participants will be challenged to examine specific operational research questions such as whether urban-based or rural-based programmes are more effective in reducing HIV infection in rural areas and what are the information gaps. Can bar-based and workplace peer education and condom distribution activities reduce the high HIV infection rates seen in young women? What are the implications of condoms for family planning in the era of HIV/AIDS? Do school education or membership of community groups help young women to avoid HIV? Do paternal and maternal orphan hood harm the educational opportunities of boys and girls? How effective are HIV intervention programmes in reaching marginalized groups such as disabled persons and street kids?
Papers accepted for presentation will be considered and published in the Journal of Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS Research that is being published with support of SAHARA. This should serve as a catalyst for broader discussion of an action agenda by SAHARA for promoting HIV/AIDS research issues that concern the African continent. Specific follow-up implementation activities for turning words into action will be proposed and to bring together African researchers, policymakers and programme planners to forge continent wide-alliances and with donors and collaborating partners in the north to facilitate HIV/AIDS social research that is effective and can lead to measurable interventions.
English and French are the official languages of the Conference.
There will be skills workshops and community outreach trips offered on all the full days of the Conference and will occur from 13:00 until 17:00 daily
Abstracts, Papers and Posters
The theme of the Conference is Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS Research: Promoting an African Alliance to Mitigate the Effects of HIV/AIDS on a Sustainable Basis. Authors are invited to present abstracts of papers/posters that address the theme of the Conference to link behavioural and social aspects of HIV/AIDS research and interventions in African populations.
Conference Objectives
For any further information do not hesitate to call either Dr Olive Shisana or Ms Bridgette Prince at the following e-mail addresses and telephone numbers : Dr Olive Shisana oshisana@hsrc.ac.za or mobile 0823339016 or Bridgette Prince bridgette@nelsonmandela.org mobile 0829940029.
Executive Director: Dr. Olive Shisana
Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS and Health
Human Sciences Research Council
69-83 Plein Street
Cape Town 8000
South Africa
Tel: +27 (21) 467 5212
Fax +27 (21) 461 1325