7. FRAMEWORK FOR INTEGRATING HIV/AIDS ISSUES INTO EIA
7.8 Monitoring and evaluation
Although some people perceive the EIA process to end at the completion of the Environmental Management Plan,there is in fact still a responsibility of the developer to implement the plan. For this purpose, it is necessary to have monitoring and evaluation indicators which track the implementation of management measures and evaluate the success of these interventions. Monitoring and evaluation is particularly important as they provide evidence to hold developer and stakeholders accountable for not meeting theirobligations. Where stakeholders do not uphold their obligations, retributive justice must be applied to ensure that the resources are provided to address HIV/AIDS impacts appropriately.
Monitoring and evaluation of HIV prevention and AIDS care programmes tracks what is being done and whether the programme is having the desired impact. The information obtained allows managers to calculate how to allocate resources to
achieve the best overall result. The extent and scope of an monitoring and evaluationprogramme must be proportionaltotheextent ofthe management plan.
Both monitoring and evaluation need to be built into the EA process from its beginning. In terms of integrating HIV/AIDS into EA, indicators can be used to measure the success of the implementation of the EA and its management plans,as well as the success of the integrationitself. A monitoring and evaluation system can bedeveloped following the steps below (Figu re 9).
Figure 9:Basicsteps in developing a monit orin g system
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A monitoring and evaluation system may fail if there is irregular and incom plete recording and reporting; staff are not properly trained; the purpose of the data collection is not clear and feedback is not provided ;and inappropriate indicators and unmeasurable objectives are chosen. Table 15 lists some of the indicators that can be used to monitor HIV/AIDS . The indicator list was developed by drawing on national-level HIV/AIDS monitoring indicators (Uganda HIV/AIDS Commission, 2000), project monitoring indicators, inputs from interviewees (Jean-Roger Mercier, 26 May 2000 and Peter Okwero, 31 October 2001) and personal experience of the researcher.
Table 15: Indicators for HIV/AIDS monitoring and evaluation Input
Amount of resources received from the project for HIV/AIDS work in and around the project site
Amount of resources contributed by the community for HIV/AIDS work in and around the project site
Amount of resources contributed from other sources (other projects, donor agencies, government, NGO's) for HIV/AIDS work in and around the project site
Number of trained supervisors, availability of checklists,vehicles and field allowance Number of staff committed to HIV prevention and AIDS activities
Output
~
Number of training sessions held, number
I
and type of participants,types of sessions on
I
e.g. HIV prevention education, counseling,
I
coping with AIDS
I
Number of campaigns held and number of
I
people reached by the campaigns
Number of condoms distributed to workforce, community groups, bars,health facilities Number and percent of establishments with condoms available throughout the year Number of AIDS action committees in community
Number of people counseled on HIV/AIDS
Number of HIV tests done
Availability of syndromic treatment for STD's in surroundingclinics
Impact Effect
Change in HIV sero-prevalence in target Percent of adults (15-49 years) knowing groups
Morbidity and mortality data
Empowerment of vulnerable groups in the project area
Percent of adults reporting STDs
Number of STD cases seen at health clinics Number of schoolgirl pregnancies
Productivity data
Impacts on worker benefits
sexual transmission route of AIDS
Percent of adults knowing that a healthy person can carry HIV for at least 5 years Percent of adults who say they have changed their sexual behaviour since they have heard of AIDS
Percent of adults who consider condoms as an acceptable method of STD/HIV prevention
Process
Number of EAs that have addressed HIV/AIDS
Number of countries that have integrated HIV/AIDS into theirown EA processes
Number of community representatives actively participating in and contributing to the programme
Number of persons receiving capacitybuilding through the project
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7.9 Conclusion
The tools presented provide a guide for EIA practitioners in assessing HIV/AIDS impacts of development projects but also support decision-makers when reviewing EIA reports. A summary of the roles and responsibilities along the various stages of the EIA process is presented in Appendix 5. In many cases the materials provided represent a selection of the available tools that exist and it is up to the consultant to draw on the appropriate resources. In all cases,a justice approach must be applied to ensure that the least disadvantaged are not made worse off by the project activities.
The framework presented is grounded in the logic and methodological approach of EIA to allow for integrated appraisal to take place. However a social justice approach is implicit through the process to ensure that social issues such as HIV/AIDS are brought to the fore in the assessment. As it is often difficult to quantitatively assess social issues, the framework recommends both qualitative and quantitative approaches to assessing HIV/AIDS. The modification of the EIA process involves re- framing how we think about the process to explicitly incorporate HIV/AIDS. how we run the process so that it is grounded in principles of justice as well as using quantitative scientific methods in HIV/AIDS Specialist Studies.
By taking special cognizance of potential HIV/AIDS impacts throughout the EIA process, the EIA practitioner can be assured that the process applied is rigorous and just,even if the outcomes are not.