A civil society perspective on the umbutfo Swaziland Defence Force policy response to HIV/AIDS

This chapter examines the policy response of the Umbutfo Swaziland Defence Force (USDF) towards reducing the impacts of HIV/AIDS within its ranks. Using primarily secondary data and available policy documents, this chapter discusses the relevance of research in the development of an effective USDF HIV/AIDS policy. Further, it assesses the role of leadership in HIV/AIDS policy-making, capacity-building efforts for policy implementation, and the processes and approaches to mainstreaming, collaboration, standardization, monitoring and evaluation. In Swaziland, the major policy decisions have focused on the four programmatic areas of prevention, treatment, care and support, and impact mitigation; other policy interventions have focused on the cross-cutting issues of research, leadership, capacity-building, mainstreaming, collaboration, standardization, monitoring and evaluation. Although the USDF has instigated major policy initiatives to address the impact of HIV/AIDS, this chapter argues that the Force could still learn some lessons from the policies of the other security forces in Swaziland.

Related Subject(s): Public Health

Countries: Eswatini