On 23 February 2021, the interim leadership of the SANAC Law & Human Rights Sector will be relaunched to breath life into this important sector. The SANAC Law & Human Rights Sector has been existing in name with no structures in place. “After a long process to get the sector to be functional, there is light at the end of the tunnel. We will get it right as this sector is very important in the fight against HIV and TB” says Thabo Majuja, Acting Chairperson of the Law & Human Rights Sector. The Law & Human Rights Sector is one of the 18 sectors in the Civil Society Forum, which together with government & business contributes to the National Strategic Plan on HIV, TB and STIs 2017 – 2022 (NSP 2017 – 2022).
The NSP 2017 – 2022 has a number of Goals that all sectors must implement. Goal 6 states that “Promote leadership and shared accountability for a sustainable response to HIV, TB and STIs – Mutual accountability”. The relaunch of the Law & Human Rights Sector will ensure that the sector is counted amongst those that are complying with the requirements of the NSP 2017 – 2022.
Furthermore, Goal 5 of the NSP 2017 – 2022 states that “Ground the response to HIV, TB and STIs in human rights principles and approaches – Equal treatment and social justice”. In 2018, SANAC launched the three-year South Africa Human Rights Plan which provides the operationalisation of Goal 5. This three-year implementation plan sets out a comprehensive response to human rights-related barriers to HIV and tuberculosis (TB) services and gender inequality in South Africa for people living with HIV, people with TB, and for key and vulnerable populations. The three-year plan is based and builds on the National Strategic Plan for HIV, TB and STIs 2017-2022 (NSP).
The Civil Society Forum’s Strategic Plan 2018 – 2022 is premised on 5 Key Results Areas that should contribute to an approach and implementation that is guided by a Human Rights based agenda. This is to ensure that the directive from the NSP 2017 – 2022 and the SA Human Rights Plan finds resonance with the work of the Law & Human Rights Sector and all other 17 sectors.
With the responsibilities the Law & Human Rights Sector has, we cannot afford to have the sector being dysfunctional. According to Thabo Majuja “Our efforts will ensure that the sector is relaunched at national, then provincial, followed by district and ultimately at local level. By the end of this year, we will make sure not only are we relaunched, but we have a functional, efficient and operational Law & Human Rights sector that contributes to the work of SANAC and promotes a human rights agenda in the response to HIV, TB and STIs as directed by the NSP 2017 – 2022 and the SA Human Rights Plan.”
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For more information, contact Thabo Majuja (Acting Sector Leader) 078 132 1913