Gender equality and gender norms: framing the opportunities for health.

The Sustainable Development Goals offer the global health community a strategic opportunity to promote human rights, advance gender equality, and achieve health for all. The inability of the health sector to accelerate progress on a range of health outcomes brings into sharp focus the substantial impact of gender inequalities and restrictive gender norms on health risks and behaviours. In this paper, the fifth in a Series on gender equality, norms, and health, we draw on evidence to dispel three myths on gender and health and describe persistent barriers to progress. We propose an agenda for action to reduce gender inequality and shift gender norms for improved health outcomes, calling on leaders in national governments, global health institutions, civil society organisations, academic settings, and the corporate sector to focus on health outcomes and engage actors across sectors to achieve them; reform the workplace and workforce to be more gender-equitable; fill gaps in data and eliminate gender bias in research; fund civil-society actors and social movements; and strengthen accountability mechanisms.

Fostering collaboration between researchers and non-governmental organizations on women and AIDS in Jamaica

Reports findings of a study of researchers and community-based NGOs in Jamaica and a forum held to build stronger bonds between persons from the two groups. Presents the objectives of the project which were to: document and analyze research efforts on women and AIDS and the program experiences of NGOs with the aim of identifying progress in research and successful interventions that could be replicated in other settings; identify the lessons learned from existing collaborations between the research and action communities; conduct a forum in which researchers and NGOs could share their experiences and needs, as well as to identify ways to strengthen communication and collaboration. In addition disseminate to researchers, NGOs, policy makers, and donors at the national and international level, the findings from analyzing the progress in research and program experience, as well as the lessons learned from the collaborative process. Suggests the need for: training and educating women and men about HIV/AIDS; collaboration among NGOs, churches and public institutions; a central pool of research findings and materials; more research; and more funding for more programs(AU)