This document discusses integrating information and communication technologies (ICTs) to promote gender mainstreaming and address HIV/AIDS issues in urban areas of Uganda. It outlines how ICTs can be used to target different groups, especially those in high-density urban areas, by raising awareness through tools like websites, radio shows, documentaries and community meetings. The presentation notes that addressing gender inequalities and empowering both men and women are crucial to preventing HIV transmission, and that ICTs can help disseminate information to promote greater gender equity and reproductive health education.

1. Integrating ICTs - Gender
Mainstreaming-HIV/AIDs in an
Urban Setting
Janet C Achora. info@wougnet.org
Women of Uganda Network
HIV-AIDS and Gender Mainstreaming Workshop for Parliamentary
HIV-AIDs Committee
Speke Resort Munyonyo
14 -16th June 2007

2. Outline of the Presentation
 Introduction - Why ICTs
 National Policy and Gender mainstreaming
 Gender issues in relation to HIV/AIDS
 Gender issues which contribute to HIV
transmission
 Target groups in Urban areas.
 Measures and ICTs that can be used
 ICT tools to use
 Food for thought
 Conclusion

3. Introduction- Why ICTs
Uganda’s ICT Policy defines ICTs as
“ Technologies that provide an enabling environment for
physical infrastructural and services development for
generation, transmission, processing, storing and
"disseminating information in all forms including voice,
text, data, graphics and Video”

4. WHY Gender mainstream
• “Main streaming a gender perspective is the process of assessing
the implications for women and men of any planned action,
including legislation, policies or programmes in all areas and at all
levels”
(United National ECOSC, 1997, Agreed conclusions 1997/2, New York. a/52/3. Chapter
IV: Coordination Segment, p.28)
At Policy Level
• Adapting a gender mainstreaming strategy means government policies have to be
examined and understood from a legal, political, economic and environmental
context and how such contexts affect men & Women.
• To successfully mainstream gender concerns in policy an intersectional rather than
a sectoral approach is required at the policy level. For example in this case,
coordination between the ministry of Health, Gender & ICT or Information should
occur, so that improved health services and other opportunities are actually
accessed equally by both men and women.

5. At the institutional level
At the institutional level, rather than only planning specific projects, the
focus is also incorporating gender issues into institutional policy, implying
that policies should be transformed together with organizational
structures and procedures.
Gender mainstreaming requires that a number of activities take place
• The political will to achieve gender equality and equity at all
organizational levels is strengthened.
• A gender perspective is integrated into all phases of sectoral planning
cycles, including analysis, development appraisal, implementation,
monitoring and evaluation of policies, programmes and projects.
• Sex disaggregated data is used in statistical analysis to reveal how
policies impact differently on women and men.
• Capacity building in gender awareness, analysis and planning is provided
for decision makers, senior managers and other personnel
• Linkages between the organisations partners in terms of gender issues
are forged.

6. • Gender mainstreaming is objective no.10
Strategies
• Take into account gender information needs and
interests of both men and women in all ICT
programmes.
• Develop mechanisms of increasing women’s access to
information (especially in rural areas) so as to reduce
the gender information gap.
• Use non –discriminative gender sensitive language in
information and communication programmes.
• Ensure equal participation in all aspects of ICT
development.
National ICT Policy &
Gender Mainstreaming

7. Gender Issues in
relation to HIV/AIDs
Gender – Meaning
Relationship and interactions between
male and females in the society.
“ These differences are reflected in roles,
responsibilities, access to resources, constraints,
opportunities, needs, perceptions and views etc held
by both women and men”
Gender is therefore a social construct
according to the value and norms of a
certain society and can be changed.

8.  Cultural values & Practices e.g Virginity in some
cultures may encourage older men to marry younger
girls.
 Protection of virginity may encourage unmarried girls
to indulge in high risk behaviour such as anal sex.
 Men generally have a higher reported rates of partner
change than women
 Prostitution & Pimping ( both high risk behaviour) as
away of getting income to survive.
 Power relations between men and women.
 Rape, outright Violence, social pressure through
coercion by older men and women in authority.
 Polygamy and multiple partner relations in marriage.
Gender issues which contribute to HIV
prevalence.

9. Target group in Urban
areas
Urban Elites . Eg policy
makers, CSOs, Civil servants
etc
 Scholars – Pupils, college and
University population
 People living in high density
areas.

10. Measures & ICTs that
can be used
Addressing issues of gender equity and promoting equal
participation of men and women in negotiating safer
sexual practices.
Men and women should be accorded equal status, equal
opportunities for education, access to reproductive Health
education and Access to Health care services, leadership
and advancement in all spheres.
Power relations in traditional and customary practices
that inhibit equal participation of men and women in
preventing the transmission of HIV/AIDS needs to be
addressed by all sectors.

11. Measures cont…
Customary practices and cultural institutions that
provide opportunities for public awareness to be utilised
for empowerment and dissemination of information on
Reproductive health and HIV/AID
Community programmes to address issues of multiple
sex partners and the issues of Gender and reproductive
rights in relation to HIV/AIDs transmission
Integrated quality and user friendly reproductive health
services to be made accessible to men, women and
youth.

12. ICT tools to Use
ICT tools for information dissemination
should be tailored to the target group
Mailing lists & websites, e-discussion foras
– ICT elites
 Radio talk shows cuts across all groups
Visual documentaries
Audio documentaries
Newsletters, Newspapers, brochures &
leaflets
Community meetings.

13. Food for thought
The Challenge – Global context
 143 million children under the age of 18 have lost one or both
parents to AIDs or other causes in 93 countries of sub-saharan
Africa, Asia, latin America and the caribbean
 From 2001 to 2003, the global number of orphans due to AIDs
increased from 11.5 million to 15 million.
 By 2010, in sub-Saharan Africa, the number is estimated to
soar to more than 18.4 million, representing 37% of orphan
hood from all causes.
 Orphaned children are growing up without the necessary
knowledge and skills for their future livelihoods.
 The loss of productive generations puts a burden on those
surviving to cope with severe labour shortages and increased
household responsibilities. (FAO HIV programme. www. Fao.org/hivaids)

14. In concluding
Gender Mainstreaming in HIV/AIDs
initiatives is of paramount
importance and this can be
accelerated by integration of
Innovative ICTs in the various
processes. (Refer to food for thought slide)

15. Thank you for your attention.
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