AAI’s overall goals
 

In a ten-year perspective, the overall ambition of AIDS Accountability International is to make a distinct contribution in the effort to realize and sustain the universal access targets. Our unique contribution is to shape the political context that determines the level and quality of leadership that is invested in the response to AIDS. Our strategy for achieving this is to generate research and mobilize stakeholders to ensure that the response is governed through accountable leadership that is motivated by a sustained demand among stakeholders in civil society and the public at large.

AAI’s long-term goals are the following:

•    That the majority governments report the data on HIV and related health issues that is requested by global and regional monitoring agencies
•    That accountability routinely features as a topic for research and advocacy debates at international conferences on HIV and related health issues
•    That accountability-based advocacy becomes a core skill and capacity among AAI’s key partners in civil society and other stakeholder groups in the AIDS response
•    That AAI’s research-based advocacy tools become an integral reference and resource for advocacy efforts by our key collaborating stakeholders in the response to AIDS and related health challenges

In order to realize our ambition in the long term we focus on four priority areas:

1. Strengthen global and regional monitoring systems
A strong accountability framework requires a comprehensive monitoring system to assess progress and to enable evaluation of efforts made by nations and the global community. Effective monitoring and evaluation of responses is essential for transparency and the ability to assess claims of improvements in the response. Transparency is partly about making the data publically available (see further below), but also, and critically, about collecting the right kind of data and to validate the data in a way that ensures credibility.

It is crucial that indicators used are attuned to the epidemic and capture necessary nuances. AAI has on the basis of our research findings, argued the need for better indicators for e.g. women and girls to capture the challenging situation they face in some regions and for meaningful, non-tokenistic involvement of civil society in countries’ reporting process. Such a contribution was already made in terms of our participation in the Expert Group for the enabling environment track in the UNGASS M&E review process that was led by UNAIDS and UNDP in 2010. We made several suggestions for how accountability could be emphasized in a revised UNGASS framework and suggested the inclusion that, for the first time, would assess the extent to which government had invited stakeholders to discuss the national response in a format that would compel the government to justify any shortcomings or failures in the response. We will continue to highlight gaps in the global and regional monitoring systems of HIV and related health issues and to develop methods for validation.

2. Improve data transparency
Transparency is a key aspect of good governance and essential for accountability; without transparency there can be no accountability. In order to implement an effective response, governments need to know their epidemic and their response, and report regularly on data including how funds are spent. By shedding light on the current situation, actors that demand accountability, such as civil society, parliamentarians and media, can applaud progress or sanction for poor performance. Transparency is also necessary to sustain and scale up the financial support for the response to AIDS which is crucial in the wake of the financial crisis.

AAI is a strong advocate for greater transparency in the AIDS response. Government reporting to UNAIDS has increased significantly from 2008 to 2010, but persistent gaps in the reporting of comparable data continues to undermine the global effort. Our main target groups are intergovernmental bodies such as UNAIDS, OECD, SADC, AU and EU responsible for monitoring the response. 

3. Inform discourse on accountability in the response to AIDS and beyond
Over the past decade, accountability has become a central concept in the global discourse of development, aid and not the least in the AIDS response. With a particular skill-base in political science, AAI is well-placed to contribute research analyses and advocacy arguments for what accountability means in the AIDS response and what it implies in terms of good governance. AAI will scale-up our contribution to the global discourse on accountability with analysis and information on existing accountability mechanisms relevant to AIDS and the global health field.

Part of this endeavor includes setting accountability on the global and regional health agenda, and to advocate for accountability to have more prominent position in existing conferences on AIDS and global health. Our main target groups are policy makers, donors and civil society organizations in our focus regions.

4. Empower advocacy stakeholders in the response to AIDS and beyond
Among the variety of stakeholders that are positioned to demand accountability, AAI focuses on civil society, parliamentarians, policy makers and media. While the commitment and involvement of some of these groups is high, we have identified a lack of evidence-based tools for accountability to support their actions. AAI works with selected partners within those groups in our geographical focus areas. By equipping key actors, holding necessary in-depth contextual experience, with our research material in terms of Scorecards and analyses we can catalyze the already ongoing advocacy efforts for universal access.

However, AAI has realized that even reasonable levels of transparency of data and the presentation of that data in accessible Scorecard formats are not sufficient to ensure accountability-based action from national or regional stakeholders. There is a need to build capacity on accountability-based advocacy as such: the meaning of the concept, how it is represented in current governance processes in various countries, and how advocates can use it more effectively to further the cause of a more effective response to AIDS and related health challenges.

Our main target groups include Development Team and Expert Panel members (see below), HIV/AIDS Accountability Forum with constituencies, European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development (EPF) and SADC Parliamentary Forum global and regional civil society organizations such as World AIDS Campaign and the ’50 by 15’ prevention movement. 

AAI’s LGBT Scorecard objectives

AAI hopes that by identifying the gaps between promises made by governments in the UNGASS Declaration of Commitment and the transparency of reporting and coverage of response interventions on sexually diverse people, that the LGBT Scorecard will provide tools and an evidence-base for advocates for stronger leadership and more effective responses to the needs of sexually diverse individuals in the context of HIV and AIDS. 

AAI also hopes to fulfill the following objectives with regard to sexually diverse people and their rights:

•    Draw attention to lack of reporting and under-reporting by government on MSM and MSW indicators and demand government be accountable where applicable
•    Create awareness of need for indicators on all sexually diverse people
•    Demand better data quality on LGBT indicators to better inform response
•    Highlight the lack of response in Prevention, Treatment, Care and Support for LGBTs
•    Create an accessible, powerful, affective new evidence base for LGBT advocates and develop their capacity to open dialogue with other stakeholders on accountability
•    Demand stronger leadership from all actors on LGBT issues
•    Demand more effective policies, programs and services for sexually diverse people that include de-criminalization and more accountability on issues such as stigma and discrimination.