On 12 May 2010, IOM will host a country consultation in Maputo,
Mozambique on HIV dynamics and responses in the road transport
sector.

The consultation, which is co-hosted by the Government of
Mozambique's Ministry of Transport and Communications, the
International Labour Organization and the Joint United Nations
Programme on HIV/AIDS, will bring together key players from the
government, private sector, civil society, trade unions, UN
agencies and donors in Mozambique, to share best practices in
responding to HIV in the road transport sector. 

Improved road and rail infrastructure in Mozambique including
the establishment of the Maputo, Beira and Nacala corridors is
rapidly expanding the transport sector and increasingly linking the
country with its neighbours. This has not only led to a boom in
truck traffic at border posts, but has also resulted in long
border-crossing delays where drivers can spend up to two days
waiting for documentation clearance.

It is anticipated that this trend may also lead to a spike in
transactional sex at the checkpoints, and to the prevalence of
multiple concurrent sexual partnerships, which is one of the
primary factors in the spread of HIV in the Southern African
Development Community region.

IOM is currently conducting a mapping study along the transport
corridors of Beira and Tete in Mozambique, looking at the behaviour
of truckers and their interaction with surrounding communities,
particularly in areas of high risk for HIV transmission.
Preliminary findings of this study will be shared at the
consultation, which will also serve to identify existing gaps and
challenges of HIV response programmes, systems, structures and
policies.

The consultation is part of the Partnership on HIV and Mobility
in Southern Africa (PHAMSA) programme, a regional programme
implemented by IOM's Office for Southern Africa, which aims to
reduce the HIV incidence and impact of AIDS among migrant and
mobile workers and their families.

Since 2004, PHAMSA has focused on populations and locations
characterised by high levels of mobility, including the
construction, transport, commercial agriculture, fisheries and
mining sectors as well as border-crossing sites. PHAMSA is funded
by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency
(Sida).

For more information contact:

Nosipho Theyise

IOM Pretoria

Tel: +27 12 342 2789

E-mail: "mailto:ntheyise@iom.int">ntheyise@iom.int