PRESS RELEASE ANNOUNCING REGIONAL WORKSHOP: ’50 by 15’

PARLIAMENTS AND CIVIL SOCIETY PREVENTION MOVEMENT FOLLOW-UP MEETING - TOWARDS REDUCING 50% OF NEW INFECTION BY THE YEAR 2015

Johannesburg, 24-26 January 2010

Windhoek, Namibia

The SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF), in collaboration with UNAIDS RST, World AIDS Campaign, Soul City Institute, SAT, SAFAIDS, and HEARD

will be holding a three day workshop as a follow-up meeting of the ’50 by 15’ movement, a new Regional initiative that brings together the Parliamentarians and Civil Society to synergise their efforts in ensuring that we turn off the tap of new infection so that we reach the target of reducing new HIV infections by 50 percent by 2015, together with the virtual elimination of mother-to-child HIV transmission.
This follow-up meeting which will be held at the Southern Sun Hotel, Hyde Park, Johannesburg, from 24-26 January 2010, aims to take stock of the Agreed Steps of Action taken at the July 16th – 17th 2009. Commitments made at this meeting agreed that the parties would collectively and regularly monitor and evaluate the progress of ’50 by 15’ initiative and its actions to meet the envisioned target. The Meeting is also expected to ultimately come up with yet another joint Parliamentary- Civil Society action plan towards advancing HIV Prevention efforts in the SADC region.
This workshop will focus on developing practical strategies for ensuring the 50 by 15 movement is on track to meet the agreed targets that will lead to the realization of preventing new HIV infections by 50 percent by 2015, as well as merge it with other ongoing collaborative efforts by the SADC PF and other Parliamentary-centric organizations, including CSOs, International NGOs. This particular workshop will focus on these objectives:

• A follow-up on the commitments and priority actions decided on in July 2009,
• Presentation and discussion on ’50 by 15’ information material for parliamentarians and civil society.

• Discussion on the way forward.

Both SADC PF and the collaborating partners involved in the ‘50 by 15’ initiative firmly believe in the critical role played by the legislatures and legislators as policymakers and opinion leaders in reshaping the course of HIV/AIDS programming. The partnership between these structures and Civil Society will help to achieve mobilization of communities around the prevention goal.
This workshop will be attended by two Parliamentarians from each of the SADC Parliaments of Angola, Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe as well as civil society representatives from the region. The meeting will provide a platform for dialogue between legislators and civil society to deliberate on ways in which they can collaborate and partner more effectively, motivating them to introduce motions on the increasing complexity of preventing the spread of HIV in the region. 
Workshop Dates: 24th to 26th January 2010
Workshop Venue: Southern Sun Hotel, Hyde Park Shopping Centre, Corner 1st Road and Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg, South Africa.

For more information, please contact:

• Mr. Sabelo Mbokazi (Capacity Development Officer -SADC PF)

Tel: +264-61-2870000 Fax: +264-61-254642 Mob: +264-813-812474
E-mail: smbokazi@sadcpf.org

• Ms. Rayhana Rassool (SA - Regional Project Manager, Soul City Institute)

Tel: +27 11 341 0360; Fax: +27 11 341 0366; Mob: +27 82416 3474
E-mail:  rayhana@soulcity.org.za

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