In the lead up to the post-2015 development agenda, young people have been consistently calling on the international community to recognize their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) through global, regional and national consultations.

To rally a global movement to influence national positions and political will and to inspire action towards achieving the SRHR goal, UNAIDS, in collaboration with Restless Development, the International Women’s Health Coalition, the PACT for social transformation and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), convened a meeting in Oslo, Norway, from 27 to 29 January.

Participants

The event brought together some 40 organizations working on women’s rights, SRHR, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex issues, and youth and HIV. UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador, Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, and the Director of Norad, Villa Kulild, also participated in the event.

Key messages

• The participants discussed the current situation regarding the post-2015 development agenda and the efforts needed to mobilize and reach youth constituencies in the final phase of intergovernmental negotiations.
• The participants shared lessons learned on high-level coalition building and opportunities to advance the youth SRHR and HIV agendas for the year ahead.
• The participants agreed to form a coalition to advance the social, economic and political determinants of health, strengthen language on SRHR, and address the lack of comprehensive sexuality education and access to health services for young people.
• The coalition will lobby for the inclusion of indicators on these topics in the accountability framework of the post-2015 development agenda.
• The coalition will advance this agenda both through advocacy in New York as well as through connecting and supporting a pool of young advocates calling for change at the country level.
• The coalition also defined the means of collaboration between the different organizations as well as their contributions to the global campaign.
• The global campaign will run from February to September 2015, with several days of action taking place at strategic moments in the lead up to the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

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Ivorian football player Gervinho, a UNAIDS Ambassador for the Protect the Goal campaign, took the opportunity during a private stay in Gabon to learn about the AIDS epidemic in the country.

UNAIDS Officer in Charge Rodrigue Nze Eyo’o briefed Gervinho on the national epidemic, challenges and successes and the work and role of UNAIDS in the country. Awareness, prevention and testing campaigns are key to reaching youth and the most vulnerable populations. Gervinho’s generous contributions and engagement play a crucial role in reaching a large audience with important HIV prevention messages.

During his fact-finding mission, Gervinho also showed his ball skills on the pitch during an HIV awareness-raising football game organized by the nongovernmental organization Rainbow with the support of the UNAIDS Country Office in Gabon. At the game, Gervinho had the opportunity to speak to young vulnerable people, orphans, out-of-school children and young people living with HIV about the challenges they face in their daily lives.

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Global musical artist Rihanna joined UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé and leaders of the MAC AIDS Fund at the Hollywood opening of a new documentary film focused on how the AIDS epidemic is affecting young people around the world.

The film, It’s Not Over, profiles the lives of three young people from India, South Africa and the United States of America. Directed by award-winning director Andrew Jenks in partnership with the MAC AIDS Fund, the film explores how young people are responding to the epidemic through activism, partnerships and social networking.

“Our global quest to end the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat aims to ensure that young people can come of age in a world that is safer, healthier and more just,” said Mr Sidibé. “This film shows how young people are using emerging communications and social networking technologies to raise awareness about the epidemic and advocate for continued attention to HIV.”

The partnership of the MAC AIDS Fund and UNAIDS has a particular focus on young people. Together, the MAC AIDS Fund and UNAIDS are working to encourage young people to learn their HIV status, leveraging social networking, film and other tools.

In 2014, a grant from the MAC AIDS Fund supported UNAIDS’ efforts to deliver HIV treatment and care for adolescents and young people worldwide.

The Fund is fully supported from the sale of Viva Glam Lipstick and Lipglass, with Rihanna lending her celebrity to spur purchase and awareness.

GENEVA, 18 November 2014—UNAIDS welcomes the recent ruling by the High Court of Botswana upholding the right of an organization that supports lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people to register in the country.

In its groundbreaking judgement, the court held that the refusal by the government in 2012 to register the organization known as LEGABIBO (Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana) violates the rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association protected by the country’s constitution. The ruling represents the first time a high jurisdiction in Africa has upheld the freedom of assembly and association for LGBTI people.

“Through the courage of civil society organizations and the boldness of its judiciary, Botswana is sending an important message of inclusiveness and freedom,” said Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director.

A valuable lesson learned in over 30 years of the HIV response is that civil society, particularly organizations of people living with and vulnerable to HIV, is essential to advancing health, dignity and development.

While Botswana has sharply increased access to antiretroviral therapy in the past decade, HIV prevalence in the country is still one of the highest in the world, at 21.9%. In response, Botswana is implementing a national strategic framework that includes the protection of human rights for all as a guiding principle.

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

If developing countries harness the potential of young people by promoting their health, education, employment and human rights, their economies can be radically transformed and strengthened, says a flagship report by the United Nations Population Fund published on 18 November.

According to State of world population 2014, with the right policies nations can benefit from a “demographic dividend” as decreasing mortality and fertility rates lead to a larger working population and greater social and economic prosperity. 

However, the report contends that too many countries are not investing sufficiently in the future of the globe’s 1.8 billion young people aged 10–24 years, with their needs and concerns too often overlooked. For example, in two out of three countries they are excluded from national development plans and poverty reduction strategies; for many, human rights violations are the norm and sexual and reproductive health and rights, seen as essential for young people to realize their full potential, are frequently unattainable because of gaps in information and services. 

State of world population 2014 highlights the serious repercussions of such gaps in relation to HIV. Today, more than 2 million people aged 10–19 years old are living with the virus and young people account for about one in seven of all new HIV infections. AIDS-related deaths are increasing among adolescents, while falling in other age groups, and young people still lack comprehensive knowledge of how to keep themselves safe from HIV.

There are a number of recommendations given to empower young people, especially girls, and to promote healthier and more successful individuals and societies. These include ensuring equal access to sexual and reproductive health services, such as HIV prevention and treatment services, keeping more girls and adolescents in secondary school and ending child marriage. 

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It will be impossible to end the AIDS epidemic without the activism and leadership of young people, said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé during a special town hall meeting in New York sponsored by the public affairs journal The Atlantic.

The meeting, entitled Rebels with a Cause: Igniting a Culture of Activism in Youth, used AIDS as a prime example of how young people are mobilizing for important causes.

Participants noted that activism by young people has played a pivotal role in the history of AIDS, making many of the achievements over the past decade possible. During the first decade of the epidemic, young activists demanded action on the epidemic and successfully advocated for radical changes to the clinical trials and drug approval processes.

During an interview-style session with Nancy Mahon, Global Director of the MAC AIDS Fund, Mr Sidibé underscored the importance of youth leadership in the AIDS response. He stressed the need to involve young people as partners in order to build responses that work for them.

Examples of activism by young people were highlighted during the event, specially the importance of personal narratives in making a difference. According to the participants, it is vital to use the energy and leadership of young people to demand action to lay the groundwork to put an end to the epidemic.

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The Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) and UNAIDS signed a partnership agreement to work together in the AIDS response, particularly in the response among young athletes.

The agreement was signed in Bangkok, Thailand, on the sidelines of the XIX General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees by ANOCA President Lassana Palenfo and Djibril Diallo, on behalf of UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé.

UNAIDS and ANOCA agreed to carry out joint advocacy and communication activities in sporting events organized by ANOCA in support of the UNAIDS Protect the Goal campaign. They will also work together to raise HIV awareness, particularly among sportspeople, to promote HIV prevention and towards the elimination of all forms of stigma and discrimination of people affected by HIV.

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