Inaugural International Institute on Gender and HIV/AIDS: strengthening the connection between practice, policy and research

Review, Network Fall 2005: The Inaugural International Institute on Gender and HIV/AIDS (IIGHA) was held 7-11 June 2004 at the Kopanong Conference Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa. Eighty-eight participants, including senior government decision makers, researchers, programme managers and practitioners, activists and advocates from Botswana, Canada, Lesotho, South Africa and Swaziland, gathered together with representatives from regional and international organizations. They met to share their experiences and expertise on the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and to build partnerships and capacity to address the role of gender in HIV prevention, treatment, care, support and impact mitigation, share expertise and experience, and enable mutual learning based on good practices and lessons learned. The goal of the Institute is to strengthen the connections between practice, policy and research in order to enhance or extend existing efforts to tackle issues of gender and HIV/AIDS through the creation of a global network of expertise on gender-based analysis and planning in HIV/AIDS. This document not only provides us with a comprehensive report of the conference, but also introduces and presents the rich history of the Institute.