Page 47 - OSISA Annual Report 2015-2018

wanted to see in the ICD-11. Additionally, all trans groups were given additional funds to run targeted advocacy in their respective countries to target medical practitioners that would be part of the WHO gathering and vote.
In 2018, the World Health Organisation removed transgenderism as a mental health disorder, changing how transgender people were beginning to be treated and perceived in health care settings and communities. OSISA had supported advocacy for this change by providing training to specialists in Johannesburg and Windhoek, raising public awareness and making investment commitments to three regional and five national Trans organisations over a 4-year period. Today we know that the changes we advocated for became a reality in May 2019 when member states adopted the International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision (ICD-11), with all the suggested changes.
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Women’s Rights Programme April-June
2018
The Unit worked very hard to push several key initiatives, including supporting a delegation of rural women farmers at the 62nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW62) in 2018. The theme of CSW62 was “Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls”. A number of southern African rural women representatives participated in panels, workshops and shared their experiences as part of the Rural Women Assembly (RWA) southern Africa network.
The PM and the Economic Justice Consultant attended a regional feedback meeting in Namibia. The national leadership of each of the RWA national chapters met over four days for leadership training and heard from those who travelled to New York for CSW62 about their experiences and possibilities for advocacy work in their respective national contexts.
The 2017 Issue of BUWA! was successfully published and launched on the 8th of March. The publication generated a lot of interest, especially among groups and networks working on youth rights issues. The Unit, working in collaboration with the Youth, Arts and Culture Initiative (YACI) and the Communications Unit, successfully launched the publication in Johannesburg, with several activities, including a panel discussion with some of the key authors and contributors of the content, as well as representatives of the youth and youth networks in the region. We have since received many unsolicited requests for copies from youth-focussed programmes and networks.
Women’s Rights Unit Report
OPEN SOCIETY INITIATIVE FOR SOUTHERN AFRICA – 2018 REPORT
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