By Thomas Scalway
Consultant
Panos Institute AIDS Programme
London

This document includes a discussion paper that was presented to plenary in the ASEAN Regional Workshop on HIV/AIDS, Stigma and Discrimination, and suggests a possible framework for taking forward some of the activities suggested in this forum.

Overview of the meeting

This was an inspiring and interesting event. The group of people that came to this meeting were enthusiastic, engaged and immensely kind and hospitable to all the guests and foreign speakers. This was against a backdrop of SARS which at this time was high on the media agenda.

Background

This workshop was presented as a World Youth Foundation initiative in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth & Sports Malaysia, Ministry of Health Malaysia, the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department Malaysia, Panos UK, Malaysia AIDS Council and the ASEAN Secretariat as co-organisers. UNAIDS provided technical and advisory support. Specifically, there remains scope for greater clarity on the workshop’s place within the other ASEAN, UN and governmental structures for AIDS and Youth.

A number of different groups attended, young people, executives of youth focused organisations, civil servants, UNAIDS representatives of the 10 ASEAN countries, plus some Asian countries outside the ASEAN region (India. Nepal, Sri Lanka), as well as some African countries.

Findings of the meeting
A central part of the meeting consisted of developing and facilitating a structured set of activities over the course of the day. All 160 participants were split into groups that reported to the plenary and were to brainstorm on:

1) What their needs were and how these could be accommodated by a regional network
2) What organisations were working on this already, and what synergies could be developed through working with these organisations
3) Given the above, what objectives and tasks could be agreed upon for taking the regional network forwards.

To facilitate the sessions related to networking, Panos presented a paper (attached below) on Participation and Ownership amongst Youth within the Response to HIV/AIDS. The day went well, and although people were getting tired by the last session there seemed to be the sense that the exercise had been engaging and productive.
Summaries of all the discussions above will be circulated by WYF once all the documents are in place.

Participants’ recommendations arising from the meeting
Following the groups’ brainstorming session, the consensus on the way forwards for the regional network was:
1) through the setting up of an email network
2) an online discussion forum
3) a web portal linked to the ASEAN website,
4) through the setting up of a senior steering group of which Panos and other key stakeholders will be a part.

Steps forward:
1) an email network for all the participants should be set up with a moderator facilitating the email exchanges and catalysing discussions. This network should provide a forum for the participants of the meeting to share experiences, resources and to foster collaboration between participant members. For the sake of expedience and efficiency, WYF should set up the network, leaving scope for different organisations to rotate the moderation of different conversations. As a first measure to maintain the momentum of the meeting, participants should be invited to share their thoughts on the process, their plans for future work, and to engage in youth-friendly exercises such as a the sharing of photos from the meeting.

2) the discussion forum is another associated product that could be launched in the next few weeks. The strategy for launching this forum should draw from the (excellent) contributions from the group discussions, particularly from representatives of the Multi-Media University. Before the discussion forum is launched there should be open and participative consultation with all the potential members through the email network mentioned above.

3) a senior working group needs to be convened to take forward activities planned in this meeting. This working group will receive and discuss the report of the meeting, The working group should include (among others) WYF (as project proponents), Malaysian AIDS Council, ASEAN representatives, UNAIDS representatives, UNICEF, and Panos South Asia. The group will be charged with overseeing the further development of the ASEAN Regional Youth Network on HIV/AIDS, and the integration of this network into other similar processes happening under other auspices (for example, there is a clear need to build on the capacity and momentum of the UNICEF youth leadership programme). WYF will act as the focal point for convening this working group for the time being.

5) an ASEAN Regional Youth web portal on HIV/AIDS should be developed, with a concept paper drawn from the organisations with the appropriate capacity. The content, format and audiences of this youth portal should draw upon suggestions from the participants of the meeting in the break-out groups. Consultation from all participants of this meeting will also be sought through the discussion forum and email network mentioned above. There is a need to also explore the possibility of linking the youth network to existing youth networks, with links to the ASEAN websites, UNAIDS, UNICEF, WYF, WAY, Malaysian AIDS Council and others.

The following points were raised for consideration:
1) Clear objectives for the network.

2) Using a participatory approach and nurturing a sense of ownership, fostering active participation in the setting up of the network and throughout the decision making process.

3) Active participation by youth in the designing, implementing and monitoring of the network.

4) Not competing with members within the network and not duplicating work of other members in the network or the work of other similar networks.

5) Develop a strategy for resource mobilization. As volunteers’ energy and time is at times inconsistent, there needs to be a commitment of staff time and funds to cover the network’s implementation and sustainability.

6) Strong coordination between all the partners involved, including developing a mechanism for regional coordination among all the partners involved.

7) Build in elements that will ensure sustainability in terms of topics to be discussed and receipt and use of funds.

8) The development of a time frame to help partners stay focused.

Other issues to consider
1) Follow up on the expressions of interest as discussed in the workshop, ensure that more partners across the region are involved and that the World Youth Foundation (in specific the proposed ASEAN Regional Youth Network activities) are not duplicating the work of other organizations working in this area;

2) Obtain more information on UNICEF’s initiative on Young People’s Leadership Programme for the East Asia Pacific region and other agencies in the region such as Health and Development Network, ICASO etc.