Workshop on Orphans and Other Children Made Vulnerable by HIVAIDS

1
Workshop on Orphans and Other Children Made
Vulnerable by HIV/AIDS

• National Action Planning and Coordination
  Mechanisms
• Miriam Temin
• 6 July 2004
• Dakar, Senegal

2
Objectives of session

• Provide an overview of key steps in national
  action planning and coordination
• Provide a case study of Ugandas experience with
  national action planning for orphans and other
  vulnerable children
• Group work consider the planning and
  coordination process in your country
• Share emerging themes with regard to OVC action
  planning, consultation and coordination

3
Presentation overview

• Establishing the framework main steps of
  national action planning
• Role and function of coordination structures
• Development of strategies issues to consider
• Challenge of applying principles to national
  reality

4
What is a national action plan for orphans and
vulnerable children?

• Purpose of a national action plan focused on
  vulnerable children is not to replace other
  national plans (National HIV/AIDS plans, PRSPs,
  etc.), but to link with them to establish a
  process that mobilises support and action
  specifically for orphans and other vulnerable
  children.
• Source Strengthening national responses
  Southern Africa workshop on orphans and other
  vulnerable children, Lesotho, 2003

5
Internationally agreed principles

• Human rights based approach
• Evidence-based decision making
• Equity
• Accountability
• Openness

6
National action planning main steps

• Establish and define roles of coordination body
• Define objectives
• Develop strategies
• Build in monitoring and evaluation (UNGASS core
  indicators)
• Estimate costs and funding sources
• Gaining highest level of approval

7
Coordination structure

• Interim and Permanent coordination structures
• Defining membership participation can take place
  without representation
• Harmonisation consider relationship with
  existing body working on childrens issues and/or
  HIV/AIDS
• Responsible for detailed planning, monitoring and
  evaluating implementation, complementary policy
  reviews, etc.

8
National consultation

• Objectives of national consultation
• What agreement on priorities and actions
  required over next year
• Who defining who is responsible
• When agreeing on target dates
• Resources, monitoring evaluation, action steps,
  if possible
• Elements of success
• Government in the drivers seat
• Wide, and involved, representation
• Clear objectives and agenda

9
Development of strategies considerations

• Defining target group who benefits?
• Incremental or exponential approach
• Prioritising scarce resources
• Basis for choosing between different
  interventions
• situation analysis, global evidence
• Avoid making it aspirational
• Integration linking orphans and vulnerable
  children with existing structures, PRSPs, sector
  programmes, SWAps

10
Elements of success

• Ownership and commitment
• Community involvement
• Balancing top down with bottom up
• Multi-sectoral approaches
• Maximising use of existing tools and resources

11
Challenges

• How to ensure multi-sectoral, broad
  participation?
• Maintaining momentum and support
• Determining/strengthening coordinating structures
  
• Debates over priority actions and resources
  required
• Realistic costing
• What if information from situation analysis is
  insufficient?
• National action plan for orphans and vulnerable
  children where there is no childrens plan?