Cultural-based HIV Prevention for Ethnic Minorities
UNESCO acknowledges the importance of understanding cultural and societal contexts – including beliefs, attitudes, traditions, practices, conceptions and misconceptions – especially those of minorities, as a first step in designing policies, approaches and programs towards reducing the vulnerability of ethnic minority populations towards HIV infection. It will concentrate on the following strategic efforts:
1. Focus on developing and re-creating cultural expressions and cultural productions, incorporating positive and relevant HIV and AIDS and related behavior change messages, based on solid ethnographic research. These programs will build on the proven ‘UNESCO Methodology’ implemented by UNESCO over the past 10 years.
2. Bring relevant partners around the table to set standards for the process of ensuring active participation of minority people in program development and delivery. These standards will aim to ensure that current and future interventions are tailored to the culture and society of the targeted audiences but which, at the same time, do not hide or obfuscate the realities of gender power relations, sex, sexuality, drug dependence, and other difficult subjects under the cover of ‘culturally appropriate’. Interventions should also be age appropriate, gender-responsive and scientifically accurate.
3. Assure cultural and linguistic appropriateness – not only in its own interventions, but also in those of other agencies. This includes applying a ‘culturally appropriate approach’ while working with the education sector – ensuring that teachers’ and students’ needs and concerns are addressed in the right tone and using the right language.
4. Use the information and evidence collected in practice and from other sources to inform advocacy with key decision-makers. This can be in the form of producing maps showing vulnerability or to produce policy advice papers / statements. UNESCO’s work in the area of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is unique in the region.
5. Engage artists, cultural performers, activists and researchers representing socio-cultural and ethnic minority groups that are at risk of HIV and / or trafficking and / or drug abuse or other forms of exploitation in all steps of the process.
Project Highlights
Trafficking and HIV/AIDS Project
Under UNESCO's special mandate for ethnic and indigenous minorities, the Trafficking and HIV/AIDS Project tackles the linked triad of problems—HIV/AIDS, trafficking, and non-traditional drug use—in the Greater Mekong Subregion, by researching, developing, and implementing programmes which crosscut these issues to address the needs of at-risk and vulnerable populations.
This project builds on UNESCO’s regional pillar of “extending international protection to endangered, vulnerable and minority cultures and cultural expressions”. It is partially supported by Asian Development Bank.
More details about the project.
Contact: trafficking@unescobkk.org
