--- title: "This week — literacy, climate justice, Aids, human rights and mental health" description: "A full week of events kicks off on Monday, 8 September with International Literacy Day and SECTION27’s Climate Justice launch, followed by conferences, webinars and community imbizos tackling HIV, housing, sexual health, human rights and suicide prevention." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "CIVIL SOCIETY WATCH 8-11 SEPTEMBER" author: "Lerato Mutsila" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/lerato-mutsila/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-09-08-civil-society-week-literacy-climate-justice-aids-human-rights-mental-health/" published: "2025-09-08T14:19:48" updated: "2025-09-10T14:10:21" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 603 --- # This week — literacy, climate justice, Aids, human rights and mental health > A full week of events kicks off on Monday, 8 September with International Literacy Day and SECTION27’s Climate Justice launch, followed by conferences, webinars and community imbizos tackling HIV, housing, sexual health, human rights and suicide prevention. By Lerato Mutsila · Published 8 September 2025, 16:19 SAST · Updated 10 September 2025, 16:10 SAST ## Key points - A full week of civil society events kicks off on Monday, 8 September with International Literacy Day and SECTION27’s Climate Justice launch, followed by conferences, webinars and community imbizos tackling HIV, housing, sexual health, human rights and suicide prevention. - International Literacy Day on 8 September focuses on "Promoting literacy in the digital era," highlighting the dual challenges of digitalisation in education. - The 12th SA Aids Conference begins on 8 September, aiming to unite global leaders to tackle HIV/Aids amidst evolving healthcare landscapes. - On 9 September, the South African Human Rights Commission will launch four reports addressing critical human rights issues across the nation. - Ndifuna Ukwazi's Ward Councillors’ Imbizo on 11 September aims to engage communities on housing and service delivery ahead of the 2026 local elections. ## Content **Monday, 8 September**is International Literacy Day and this year’s theme is *“*Promoting literacy in the digital era*”,*which the United Nations says is an opportunity for critical reflection on what literacy means today, and how literacy teaching and learning, programmes and policies are designed, managed and monitored in the digital era. “Digitalisation has been changing the ways in which we learn, live, work and socialise, in both positive and negative ways, depending on how we engage with it. While digital tools can help expand learning opportunities for marginalised groups, including 739 million young people and adults who lack basic literacy skills, this digital shift also risks creating double marginalisation – exclusion not only from traditional literacy learning but also from the benefits of the digital age,” it added. The 12th SA Aids Conference kicks off on **Monday**and concludes on **Thursday, 11 September**, themed “Unite for Change – Empower Communities and Redefine Priorities for HIV/Aids”. It will bring together leaders, researchers, implementing partners, academics and advocates from around the world to address the evolving landscape of HIV care and prevention. “We find ourselves at a critical juncture in global health, with the introduction of the National Health Insurance, groundbreaking long-acting therapies and evolving global politics rapidly reshaping the landscape of our work. Our mission remains clear, to bring an end to the Aids epidemic,” the organisers said. **Venue:** Emperors Palace, 64 Jones Rd, Kempton Park. Register to attend [here](https://saaids.co.za/register/). View the full programme [here](https://saaids.co.za/programme-outline/). Also taking place on**Monday at 10 am,**SECTION27 will launch its [Climate Justice publications](https://section27.org.za/resources/section-27-publications/). “SECTION27 has been working to advance climate justice through the lenses of health and education. Our efforts have led to the production of in-depth research, constructive dialogue and impactful collaboration,” the organisation said. ![Image](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Poster-2-1.jpeg) On **Tuesday, 9 September,**the South African Human Rights Commission will launch [four reports](https://www.sahrc.org.za/index.php/sahrc-media/news-2/item/4372-media-briefing-invite-sahrc-launches-human-rights-reports) highlighting human rights work and issues across the country. The reports (2024-25 financial year) are: - State of Human Rights Report; - Section 184(3) Report; - Recommendations Monitoring Report; and - International and Regional Human Rights Report. **Venue:** SAHRC head office, Sentinel House, Sunnyside Office Park, 32 Princess of Wales Terrace, Parktown, Johannesburg. Also on **Tuesday,**at **1pm**, the Southern Africa Litigation Centre, in partnership with Women Probono, will host a human rights training webinar to unpack the centre’s policy brief and the legal environment affecting key populations in Africa. Register [here](https://t.co/qWSUOQZEGQ). ![civil society](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Poster-3-1.jpeg) On **Thursday, 11 September,**at**8.30am,** Ndifuna Ukwazi will host a Ward Councillors’ Imbizo in an effort to reclaim democracy from below. “Join community members and City of Cape councillors in a face-to-face public meeting to raise housing and service delivery concerns and rebuild trust ahead of the 2026 local government elections,” the organisation said. **Venue:** Oliver Tambo Community Hall, corner Mew Way and Lansdowne Road, Khayelitsha (Mew Way Hall). In another event on **Thursday,**at **12pm,**the Socio-Economic Rights Project at the Dullah Omar Institute, University of the Western Cape, will host a webinar on how national laws and policies on sexual and reproductive health and rights shape the lived realities of adolescents and young people, using evidence and case studies from across Africa. Click [here](https://dullahomarinstitute.org.za/events/webinar-laws-and-policies-on-young-people2019s-sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-rights-srhr-in-africa-11-september-2025) to register. On **Friday, 12 September,** at **1pm**, the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) will host its Ask The Expert event on Facebook Live. Clinical psychologist Dr Mosa Malema will advise participants on how to support and connect with loved ones after a suicide attempt. “Supporting a loved one after a suicide attempt can be difficult, but you don’t have to face it alone,” Sadag says. Tune in [here](https://www.facebook.com/TheSADAG/). ![Image](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Poster-4-2.jpeg)