Social Science Research Council

In November 2002, the SSRC convened an international meeting on HIV/AIDS and social transformation. Leading academics and practitioners from around the world discussed the impact of the pandemic on the functioning and well-being of households and communities. The need for social science research on the structural implications of HIV/AIDS for national and international peace and security, for systems of governance, for business and industry and for social and religious institutions was identified. Stephen Lewis, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, addressed the meeting on the intensely political challenges posed by the pandemic and the related gaps in knowledge concerning the disease's disproportionate impact on women, the 14 million orphans left in its deadly wake, and the threats posed to international security. This meeting was the beginning of a series of consultations that will shape the SSRC's response to the pandemic and the development of a major initiative on HIV/AIDS and social transformation.

Papers presented at the meeting: