World YWCA Global Strategy 2008 - 2012

World YWCA Global Strategy on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and HIV and AIDS 2008 – 2012

In February 2009, the World YWCA convened a consultation, supported by UNFPA, to strengthen the World YWCA Global Strategy on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and HIV and AIDS including Condom Programming. Building on the outcomes of this consultation, the World YWCA commits to promoting comprehensive approaches for SRHR, HIV and AIDS and violence against women that focus on prevention strategies and women’s empowerment.

The purpose of the strategy is to define the World YWCA approach to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and HIV and AIDS within the broader context of the World YWCA Strategic framework (2008-2012). The World YWCA Strategic Framework consist of three goals:

1. Goal 1 Leadership and Training: To build the leadership of women and girls to develop the most effective solutions to the issues affecting their lives and communities
2. Goal 2 Advocacy and Services: To promote social, economic, cultural, religious and political rights of women and girls through advocacy and related programmes and services
3. Goal 3 Good Governance and Accountability: To develop a practical guide to ensure a level of management and practise that is effective and efficient

With 70 member associations implementing SRHR and HIV and AIDS programmes, the YWCA’s principal focus is to mobilise effective leadership of women, especially young women, in the movement and strengthen partnerships and programmes that work for women, young women and girls. Such transformative leadership will contribute towards informed decision making by women, and contribute to the change of harmful behaviours and practices as well as effective policies and laws related to reproductive health and HIV.

The YWCA is renowned as being a safe space for women, including young women, through which they can be empowered to take ownership of their lives. YWCAs are ideally positioned to provide safe and inclusive, non-judgmental and confidential spaces for women and girls to discuss and disclose challenges they face in SRHR, HIV and AIDS and violence against women (VAW). Young women and women living with HIV are a priority focus of the strategy. Implicit in all work carried out by the YWCA is a human rights-based approach. As this strategy is implemented, YWCAs will document how many women and girls are reached, as well as good practices to be shared across national, regional and international platforms.

Goal 1 Leadership and Training

• Build the leadership of young women that creates stronger networks in the YWCA and ensures more young women’s involvement in advocacy and services that addresses SRHR, HIV and their own personal safety
• Develop the understanding of global advocacy on SRHR, HIV and VAW and how international policy impacts their lives at the local level
• Ensure that young women have the capacity and confidence to engage in decision making and be part of the discussion around how SRHR and HIV affects their lives
• Develop an agenda by and for young women that protects their sexual and reproductive health and rights and prevents them from contracting or transmitting HIV and STIs
• Support young women to develop services and interventions that work for them

Goal 2 Advocacy and Services

• Ensure integrated information on SRHR, HIV and VAW that leads to empowerment and behaviour change at community level
• Enable comprehensive condom programming (CCP)
• Address stigma and discrimination of all women, irrespective of age, living with HIV

• Support age appropriate and youth friendly information on SRHR and HIV
• Provide referrals to voluntary, counselling and testing (VCT) for HIV accompanied by services especially for women living with HIV and AIDS and survivors of violence
• Secure medical, legal and other social referral services relating to HIV and SRHR
• Create a conducive environment for women, especially young women and girls to share sensitive information on HIV, sexuality, reproduction and violence
• Provide emergency shelter and physical space for women, young women and girls – especially those with reproductive health needs in emergencies

Goal 3 Good Governance and Accountability

• Create more in depth knowledge and analysis on the work being implemented in YWCAs around the world. Share best practices in the YWCA – sharing the learning’s so that programmes and policy can be adapted to suit different contexts
• Understand strengthens and weakness of SRHR, HIV and AIDS programming and adopt lessons learnt to improve services for all women
• Provide donors with the highest possible quality of requested reports and both qualitative and quantitative information