Botswana has the third highest HIV prevalence in the world. In Botswana it is estimated that 390,000 of the 2.1 million population are infected with HIV. The HIV prevalence has increased to 18.5% (BAIS IV: 2013) from 17.6% (BAIS III: 2008).  There are multiple key drivers of HIV in Botswana, which needs to be addressed in order to reach the epidemic control. To that end, Botswana has embarked on the goal of 90: 90: 90 by year 2020 and 95: 95: 95 by the 2030. That is: 90% of all people living with HIV will know their status; 90% of all people with diagnosed HIV infection will receive sustained ART; 90% of all people receiving ART will have viral suppression (undetectable viral load). HIV treatment has been found to intensely improve the health and prolong the life of the people living with HIV and AIDS. With the development of better-tolerated HIV treatments, research is showing that starting treatment early, before the virus has a chance to cause damage to the immune system, is important for achieving the best health outcomes.

Increasingly, large capital projects are also recognized as a driver of the spread of HIV/AIDS, an epidemic that continues to pose major health, human rights and socio-economic challenges to the ESA region threatens human development objectives. In recognizing an opportunity to strengthen the Environmental Assessment (EA) process to better predict and manage the long-term health impacts of HIV and AIDS on the workforce and affected communities, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Centre for East and Southern Africa commissioned a four-phased project to investigate current EA practice with respect to the inclusion of HIV and gender-related issues. The ten countries participating in this programme include Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Kazungula Bridge Project lies on the north - south transport corridor and serves as an experimental site/ case study for prevention of new HIV infection in the capital projects through effective and efficient implementation of the EIA recommendations. Lessons learnt will be used to advocate for improving implementation of mainstreaming health/HIV and social issues into EA.

The proposed assignment is to conduct rapid assessment of the implementation of health/HIV, gender and human rights activities at the Kazungula area. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of the implementation of HIV and health issues at the Kazungula and make recommendations for the next summit meeting. An INDIVUDUAL consultant with background in Social Sciences, or relevant discipline and HIV and public health expertise is required to undertake this assignment.