In 2019, 48 countries and territories impose some form of HIV-related restrictions and mandatory HIV testing that prevent people living with HIV from legally entering, transiting through or studying, working or residing in a country, solely based on their HIV status.

Mehdi Beji (not his real name) couldn’t wait to start his new job in a North Africa Middle East country. He had packed his belongings and said his goodbyes in Tunisia and filed all the paperwork requested by his new employer. Before his contract was approved, he had submitted the results of the blood tests he had been asked to take, but after he started work he was requested to get his blood tested again.

“After a month, I was contacted for an appointment to get my credit card, and when I arrived at the mall, I was arrested by the police,” Mr Beji said.  At the police station he was informed he was HIV-positive and that the country’s laws deny residency to people living with HIV.

"They deported me back to Tunisia without money and I was not able to recover my two months salary,” Mr Beji said. “When I contacted the bank, they informed me that the only way to access my account was through the bank card that they refused to grant me.”

Treated like a criminal

For 12 years Karim Haddad (not his real name) lived and worked in a North Africa Middle East country. As part of his medical check-up for his residency permit, his blood was tested for HIV without his consent. On the day he went to collect the test results, he said, police officers handcuffed him and locked him in a room.

Four days later, the authorities informed him that his deportation was imminent because of his HIV status. “I didn’t know anything about the virus, so I asked what HIV is and got no answer,” Mr Haddad said. He recalled feeling paralysed with fear.

When he asked about his wife and children, he was told that they would all board the same flight and would meet him at the airport. As for his financial rights or his belongings, he said they just kept repeating, “You have no rights.”

“I left the country as if I were a criminal,” Mr Haddad said, still in disbelief.

Nightmare

The above tales are experiences that Amina Zidane (not her real name) knows all too well. She left Algeria at the age of 19 for work. After a few years, her annual medical check-up did not go as usual.

“I could hear the nurses whispering to each other, “This is the one.”” She suspected something was wrong, so she asked her sister, who had accompanied her to the clinic, to get her results. “My sister told me that the police were downstairs saying that they had come “to arrest a woman with AIDS,”” she said.

She recalled being taken to jail and prayed that there had been a mistake or that it was just a bad dream. “They did not open the door, they just sent me food through a small window," Ms Zidane said.

A week later, the authorities deported her. “I was left at the border with my passport and my son,” she said. Her husband escaped because he didn’t want to be deported. “Fourteen years of my life disappeared just like that and I had done nothing wrong.”

Lost son

Sabrina Abdallah (not her real name) lived in a North Africa Middle East country most of her childhood. After passing a computer science degree, she married a fellow Sudanese. They rejoiced when they had a baby boy.

At barely three months old, their son’s cold would not clear up. Despite being in a hospital, his condition didn’t improve. “It's really hard to see one’s child suffering and feeling so helpless,” she said. At first, her doctor thought that her son might have cancer, but he was eventually tested and found to be living with HIV. “While I was in the midst of my anxiety and fear, news spread at the hospital about my son, and they placed him alone in a room, with no one looking after him,” she said.

Ms Abdallah tested for HIV and found out that she was also living with HIV. “They asked me to take my son and go home,” she said. “They wouldn’t let us leave him at the hospital and even assigned a police officer to escort us and make sure we would not leave the baby behind.”

Child in hand, she tried to get some answers. That’s when her husband told her he had known his HIV-positive status all along. She couldn’t understand why he would hide something like that from her. The police took her husband to jail and 10 days later they were all deported to the Sudan. She started treatment but unfortunately it was too late for her son.

She eventually divorced her husband because, she said, she could never forgive him for the death of their son. 

Student uprooted

For two years, Miriam Pepple (not her real name) studied at a university in central Europe. She paid her tuition fees and adapted to student life far from home. When she started having abdominal pains, she went to the student clinic. They advised her to have surgery. She had blood tests done, but thought nothing of it, since she had submitted her clinical tests to get a student permit while in her home country, Nigeria.

She said that the university asked her to take more blood tests and to bring her passport. After being told to visit various offices at the Ministry of Health, she was told to report to a police station. A day later, the authorities handed her an airline ticket to Abuja, Nigeria, along with a letter from the immigration office that claimed that she was an inadmissible immigrant.

What shocked her even more, she said, is the letter she received from her university. “They said that I had terminated my studies on my own accord,” Ms Pepple recalls.

“I lost my self-esteem, dignity and respect,” she said. Her hope is that no one should ever go through such treatment because of the huge social and psychological affect it had on her.

Life crushed

Pradeep Agarwal (not his real name) was a successful businessman, working throughout the Middle East. He worked in three Gulf countries for more than 10 years until his life came crashing down around him.

“In a matter of hours, I lost my job, my dignity and my home,” Mr Agarwal said. “I was informed I was HIV-positive and had to leave the country.” He recounts being escorted by the police to a quarantine room. “After being treated for years with respect and dignity, I found myself with other people from all nationalities, among them doctors and engineers, treated in the same inhuman way,” he said.

“I was not even given a medical report that could enlighten me and I was spoken to in Arabic, which I do not understand,” he said. “I suddenly had become a criminal in their eyes.”

After his return to India, he became depressed and has been unable to find another job. He believes that deporting people who are living with HIV gives governments a false assurance that their societies are safe. “In fact, these travel restrictions and expulsions drive people underground, so it makes the situation worse,” Mr Agarwal said. “I want people to be more aware of these violations,” he added. “I want them to stop, so others do not suffer the same horrible fate I suffered.”

UNAIDS believes that these laws discriminate, impact on human rights and have no public health justification.

“For many of the millions of people living with HIV around the world, travel restrictions are a daily reminder that discrimination continues to be entrenched in harmful policies,” said Luisa Cabal, UNAIDS Director, a.i., of the Community Support, Social Justice and Inclusion Department. “They deny people’s freedom and, even worse, force people to abandon their workplace, school and home.”

South Africa has reaffirmed its commitment to accelerate the pace of its response to HIV in order to reach the 2020 Fast-Track targets and end the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030.

During the opening plenary of the 9th South Africa AIDS conference in Durban, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Shannon Hader, reminded participants that 1in 5 people living with HIV globally lives in South Africa. The country has the largest treatment programme in the world with 4.5 million people on treatment by June 2018. However, around 3 million people living with HIV are yet to access treatment. Ms Hader also reminded the audience that the country is not on track to reach its prevention targets.

“Pace really matters. The world will only succeed in ending AIDS when South Africa succeeds,” she said. Ms. Hader noted that ending the AIDS epidemic was a strategic priority for South Africa and an essential element of the Sustainable Development Goals. “Success in HIV is success in health, and we won’t have health for all if we don’t address HIV.”

Ms Hader reiterated that UNAIDS and the UN system remain committed to support South Africa’s response to HIV and TB. “We are with you,” she said.

Delivering the opening address to the conference, South Africa’s Minister of Health, Zweli Mkhize said the success of the AIDS response to date was a tribute to the work of researchers and the courage of activists who dedicated their lives to finding solutions. “This event reminds us to harness the huge potential of people living with HIV to guide the delivery of services,” he said.

When closing the conference, South Africa’s Deputy President, David Mabuza, thanked UNAIDS and the UN system for their continued support and noted that South Africa is determined to expand HIV treatment to at least 6.1 million people by 2020. He cited Thembisa modelling by the University of Cape Town and funded by UNAIDS that suggests 12.9% of the South African population is living with HIV. 

While South Africa’s HIV response is being hailed as a success, it is “clear that we are not doing well in preventing new infections,” said Mr Mabuza. “It is estimated that there are around 250 000 new infections annually, and our target is to get below 100 000 new infections by December 2020. This gap is big and it must be closed.” Mr Mabuza noted that stigma and discrimination remained a challenge to ending AIDS and he expressed determination to overcome them. “We must be compassionate and ensure that available services are provided with respect and dignity to all,“ he said.

At a pre-conference event, the UN Resident Coordinator Nardos Bekele-Thomas joined the Minister of Health, the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, the Deputy Ministers of Justice and Social development, and several political, community and civil society leaders, to launch a new human rights and gender plan to address barriers to access HIV and TB services. The plan was handed over to Mr Mabuza, who is also Chair of the South Africa National AIDS Council during the closing session of the South African AIDS conference. Mr Mabuza welcomed the launch of the plan and said the Government was committed to ensuring every public servant provides care with compassion and at the highest possible level of quality. “This is not only a right thing to do, but a fundamental human right,” he said.

Ms Bekele-Thomas noted that South Africa has ratified several international human rights instruments and has a progressive Constitution with a bill of rights, but she said these alone were insufficient to promote and protect the rights of vulnerable and key populations. “Human rights must be respected, protected and fulfilled through the adoption of relevant strategies and implementation plans, by refraining from limiting the enjoyment of human rights, by preventing others from interfering in the enjoyment of human rights, and by promoting human rights awareness,” she said. She also commended the Global Fund for supporting the development of the plan.

The theme of the AIDS conference was “Unprecedented Innovations and Technologies” and it engaged community members, scholars and policy experts in detailed discussion of implementation science and game changing approaches, ranging from PrEP and U=U (Undetectable equals Un-transmittable) to new data on contraception and sub-national data on prevalence and progress on the 90-90-90 targets.

In September 2018, on the sidelines of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit in Beijing, China’s First Lady, Professor Peng Liyuan, and her fellow First Ladies from Africa lit up a Reb Ribbon at the centre of the meeting hall, officially launching the Joint Initiative of the China-Africa Thematic Meeting on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control.

The 2018 FOCAC summit gathered together over 20 African Heads of State and First Ladies to discuss closer partnership between China and African countries, including on health-related matters. During the thematic meeting, Professor Peng announced a three-year HIV prevention campaign among adolescents to begin in 2019 as well as a community health promotion programme involving China, several African countries and international organizations, including UNAIDS.

For more than 10 years, Professsor Peng has had a particular interest in reducing the impact of HIV among children and adolescents, especially among children orphaned by AIDS. In 2016, she hosted the China-Africa Children Summer Camp that brought together children living with or affected by HIV from China, Ghana, South Africa and Zimbabwe. During the camp, the First Lady helped launch the Chinese version of the Bravest Boy I Know, a book which helps children understand the issues surrounding HIV and reduce the stigma and discrimination faced by children affected by the virus.

In 2015, Professor Peng attended a meeting of the Organization of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she underlined the importance of four key issues critical to ending AIDS by 2030: universal access to HIV treatment; public information and education; educational opportunities for adolescents and economic development to eliminate poverty.

Together with national Red Ribbon Ambassadors, Professor Peng has for many years visited communities across China, including schools and universities, to raise awareness about HIV prevention and to reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with the virus.

An acclaimed soprano singer, Professor Peng has proven to be a powerful voice for those living with or affected by HIV.

She has been a World Health Organization Goodwill Ambassador for Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS since 2011. In 2017, she was awarded a UNAIDS Award for Outstanding Achievement in recognition of her contribution to the response.

“A caring heart is our best weapon against AIDS,” she said in accepting the award. “We can save lives if we take action. We must succeed and we will succeed.”

According to national estimates, an estimated 1.25 million people are living with HIV in China, with almost 400 000 unaware of their status. China’s epidemic is concentrated among key populations at higher risk of HIV, including men who have sex with men. That’s why it’s crucial to meet these communities where they socialize, including in virtual spaces such as gay dating applications.

Danlan Public Welfare is a nongovernmental organization that advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights. It is also behind the largest gay dating application in China, Blued, which today has more than 28 million users. It has incorporated community-driven HIV prevention messaging into the application and includes basic facts about the virus, as well as information on prevention, testing and treatment options and how and where to contact related services. Interactive quizzes test users’ knowledge about HIV.

As well as this powerful virtual tool, Danlan also operates free HIV rapid testing outreach projects in partnership with the Municipal Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. People can take a free HIV test and get their results in just 10 to 15 minutes.

As the Blued dating application becomes popular around the world, Danlan is extending its HIV prevention programme to Belt and Road Countries. Since March 2019, users in Indonesia have been able to access the “Blued Help Center". The service is provided in cooperation with a local civil society organization called "VictoryPlus”, which allows users to post their concerns regarding HIV-related issues and receive an immediate answer. Blued’s “We Care” programme also offers virtual information on HIV services close by.

In Thailand, Danlan worked together with a civil organization called "Impulse" to advocate for HIV prevention programmes and provided free rapid HIV testing services. Danlan has also cooperated with Mahidol University on HIV-related risk behaviour research.

In April 2019, the chief executive officer of Danlan, Geng Le, received an award for “Outstanding Innovative Model” by the Confederation of Trade Unions of Chaoyang, Beijing. It is estimated that community-based organizations like Danlan are responsible for finding 30% of all new HIV cases in the city.

“We are doing our best to use science and technology to improve the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities, including their health,” says Geng Le. “Our vision is that all young people should be able to live with dignity, be free of stigma and discrimination and love who they want to no matter where they come from, what their sexual orientation is and what their HIV status is.”

Blued is more than just a dating application now. It is also a virtual healthcare resource centre that provides support to the wellbeing of the LGBT community.

At the 2nd European Games 2019 taking place in Minsk, Belarus, athletes and spectators are receiving information about HIV, free access to condoms and the possibility of taking a free rapid HIV test. 

Thanks to a partnership between UNAIDS, the directorate of the games, the ministry of health of Belarus, the parliament of Belarus, civil society organizations and the United Nations country team, Zero Discrimination zones offering HIV services have been established throughout the site hosting the games.

The main #zerodiscrimination pavilion was opened by the UNAIDS Ambassador for the European Games, Alexei Yagudin, the world champion figure skater and olympic gold medallist.

“The 2nd European Games are free from discrimination for everyone – regardless of your nationality, age, gender, sexual orientation or HIV status,” said Mr. Yagudin.  

The UNAIDS Zero Discrimination zones are placed around the official fan zone, the main sports stadium and in the athletes’ village. The zones are staffed by more than 90 dedicated volunteers, mostly doctors and nurses, who provide HIV information, HIV counselling and rapid testing and access to free condoms. Ahead of the games, UNAIDS had also provided extensive training on HIV and sexual and reproductive health to hundreds of volunteers.

In addition, the national TV Channel ONT, in close collaboration with UNAIDS, produced two public service announcements on zero discrimination and equal opportunity for all. They have been broadcast in more than 20 public venues in Minsk, on all national TV channels and during live broadcasts of the games.

Carrying the official torch of the games, the “Flame of Peace”, UNAIDS regional director Vinay Saldanha said “I am proud to carry this Flame of Peace on behalf of UNAIDS and on behalf of people who deserve to live free from discrimination, including people living with HIV that are competing in and visiting these games in Minsk.”

The 2nd European Games opened officially on 21 June and will continue until 30 June. More than 4000 athletes from 50 countries are participating in the Games, competing in 15 sports across 23 disciplines, 8 of which will also serve as qualifying events for the Olympics Games 2020 in Tokyo.

Botswana has reaffirmed its commitment to end the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030 with the recent launch of two new five-year strategies.

The third National Strategic Framework for HIV/AIDS and the Multi-sectoral Strategy for the Prevention of Non-communicable Diseases will until 2023 guide the government’s strategic response to improve health outcomes for the country’s population.

Botswana has made significant progress in its response to the HIV epidemic in recent years. Of the estimated 380 000 people living with HIV in 2017, 320 000 have access to treatment to keep them well.

Botswana was the first country in eastern and southern Africa to provide free and universal treatment to people living with HIV. It has adopted the Option B+ strategy which offers women living with HIV lifelong treatment and the “test and treat” strategy which provides immediate treatment to people who test positive for the virus.    

During a two-day visit to the country from 13 to 14 June, UNAIDS Executive Director a.i., Gunilla Carlsson, attended the presidential launch of the new health strategies. 

“As a country, we need to renew our focus and re-prioritize our agenda on the HIV response to attain the 2020 targets and the vision for ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Furthermore, non-communicable diseases have become a new epidemic that threatens our health as a nation as well as our national development agenda,” said President Mokgweetsi Masisi during the launch.

During her visit, Ms Carlsson also named the First Lady of Botswana, Ms Neo Masisi, as Special Ambassador for the Empowerment and Engagement of Young People in Botswana. In this role, Ms Masisi will focus on advocating for young people’s needs, the promotion and protection of their rights, and their leadership roles of agents as change, with an emphasis on young women and girls.

“I’d like to thank UNAIDS for the confidence placed in me by conferring upon me this role. It will help me to leverage my role as First Lady to end the AIDS epidemic among young people and add value to the work I am already doing,” said Ms Masisi.

In a meeting between Ms Carlsson and members of civil society in Botswana, participants raised their concerns about complacency, especially among younger people, adherence to treatment and HIV prevention.

On the back of the landmark decision of the High Court of Botswana to decriminalize same-sex relations, members of the LGBT community expressed hope, but also warned that more work needed to be done to address stigma and discrimination, especially in communities and in health care settings.

“The main challenge that Botswana is facing in its AIDS response is complacency. If the country can overcome this challenge, then it will show the whole world that it can be done,” said Gunilla Carlsson, UNAIDS Executive Director, a.i.

During her visit, Ms Carlsson also visited Ramotswa, a village outside of Gaborone, to witness how communities are coming together to accelerate the AIDS response. She also visited Tebelopele clinic in Gaborone, which provides integrated HIV and health services to a wide range of people, including female sex workers, men who have sex with men and adolescent girls and young women.

UNAIDS is continuing its support to Pakistan in responding to the outbreak of HIV in Larkana, during which more than 800 people have been newly diagnosed with the virus. More than 80% of the new cases are among children aged under 15, with most among children aged under 5. By 17 June, 396 people had been referred to treatment.

At a press conference on June 14 the authorities presented the findings of a preliminary investigation into the outbreak. It concluded that poor infection control practices, including a lack of sterilization and the re-use of syringes and intravenous drips, are the most significant factors behind the rise in new infections.

“There is a huge amount of work that needs to be done to improve infection control and support the affected children and their families,” said UNAIDS regional director, Eamonn Murphy, during the press conference held in Karachi, Pakistan. “UNAIDS will continue to facilitate and coordinate within the United Nations system and with other partners to ensure that the required support is provided effectively and efficiently,” added Mr Murphy.

As well as improving infection control procedures, the preliminary investigation found that strengthening community education is critical to raise awareness about HIV prevention and to tackle stigma and discrimination. The conclusions of a rapid assessment on HIV-related knowledge presented at the press conference found that information about HIV is very limited among the affected communities. Many parents and caregivers learnt about HIV only on the day their children were diagnosed or because of media reports about the increase in cases. A lack of accurate information created panic and some families with children diagnosed with HIV have been shunned and isolated.

In response, UNAIDS in partnership with UNICEF, UNFPA, the World Health Organization and the JSI Research and Training Institute have been supporting national partners to develop a community response plan to promote health education and reduce stigma and discrimination. The Sindh AIDS Control Programme, together with UNAIDS and UNICEF, has started to train health workers on paediatric case management and health education sessions are being organized with the involvement of community led organizations and religious leaders. Training sessions for local media on responsible HIV reporting are also being carried out.

UNAIDS has been working closely with the federal and provincial governments to provide on-site technical support to help respond to the crisis and mitigate its impact. Sindh’s Ministry of Health has increased its efforts to prevent unlicensed and informal medical practices from operating and, as a result, 900 health clinics and unlicensed blood banks have been closed.

The preliminary investigation was led by the World Health Organization, in partnership with organizations including the Sindh AIDS Control Programme, Aga Khan University, the Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme, the Dow Medical University in Karachi, the Microbiology Society of Infectious Disease and UN agencies, including UNAIDS, UNICEF and UNFPA.  

With 20 000 new HIV infections in 2017, Pakistan has the second fastest growing AIDS epidemic in the Asia Pacific region, with the virus disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable and marginalized, especially key populations. UNAIDS continues to work with the government and partners in Pakistan to strengthen the response in the country.

The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial, coordinated by the Global Network of People Living with HIV, is one of the world’s oldest and largest grassroots mobilization campaigns for HIV awareness in the world. In May, the UNAIDS country office in China invited members of community-based organizations to lead a commemorative event to mark the 36th International AIDS Candlelight Memorial at the United Nations headquarters in Beijing.       

Organized by the Man Wellness Center and Beijing Love Without Border Foundation under the theme of "Ignite Hope, Blessing for Love,” the event brought together community members, activists, young people, healthcare providers, private sector representatives and other people working in the response. They remembered those lost to AIDS-related illnesses and re-committed their efforts to end the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030.  

During the ceremony, the director of UNESCO’s Beijing office, Ms. Marielza Oliveira, welcomed the significant advances made in the response to AIDS, emphasizing the medical and scientific advances that could now be used to reduce the impact of the epidemic. She called on people to join together to reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with the virus to ensure that everybody could share in the progress being made.

Participants at the event received the latest material about HIV treatment and prevention options.

Civil society activists in China are working hard to get the message across that as long as people living with HIV take treatment regularly and are virally suppressed, they are not infectious: Undetectable = Untransmittable.        

Young people were prominent at the event. Volunteers from the Core Group for AIDS Prevention and the Red Cross Society of China’s Beijing branch attended and committed themselves to creating a discrimination-free environment for people living with and affected by HIV.

As dusk fell, people lit candles in memory of those that have been lost to AIDS-related illnesses.

At the end of the ceremony, people came together to place their candles on a commemorative red ribbon.

The event once again demonstrated the central role played by communities in the response to the AIDS epidemic.

This story was first published by UNESCO

Young people in Myanmar make up more than half of the national population, with 5-14-year-olds making up the largest group. This youthful population brings incredible potential for sustaining Myanmar’s recent development momentum, but only if investments are made to address the challenges that prevent them from making informed decisions about their health and well-being.

Research shows that young people in Myanmar have a limited understanding of sexual and reproductive health, with 38 per cent of adolescents admitting they did not know a woman could become pregnant if she has sex only once, and only 16.67 per cent of young people aged 15 - 24 having accurate HIV prevention knowledge.

To address these issues, UNESCO Yangon, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, held a policy seminar on 22 March, 2019. More than 50 representatives from Government and non-Government organizations came together to share good practices and identity opportunities for strengthening sexuality education policy, curriculum and teaching in Myanmar.

The event featured the launch of the Myanmar-language version of the 2018 revised International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education (ITGSE), developed by UNESCO, in partnership with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNAIDS, and UN Women. The Technical Guidance assists education, health and other relevant authorities in the development and implementation of sexuality education programmes and materials.

UNESCO regional advisor for health and education, Kabir Singh, said the UN Technical Guidance covers a wide range of topics; going beyond sexual and reproductive health to include broader life skills such as negotiating consent and staying safe.

“While young people in Myanmar face challenges in accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information and services, the situation is further exacerbated by social and gender norms that prevent children and young people, particularly girls and other vulnerable groups, from achieving good health and well-being,” he said.

“This is why it is critical that CSE programmes begin at the ages of 5 – 8, as outlined in the UN Technical Guidance. We need to help children at the earliest ages understand gender equality, healthy relationships, and respect for themselves and one another.”

Sexuality education in Myanmar

The National Life Skills Education curriculum in Myanmar, developed by the Ministry of Education (MoE) in collaboration with UNICEF, has been part of the core curriculum in primary schools since 2006, and in middle schools as a compulsory co-curricular subject since 2008. The lower secondary curriculum (grades 5-8) covers seven themes, including reproductive health, HIV and STIs, substance use, and disease prevention and nutrition.

A 2012 assessment of Life Skills Education in middle school found that knowledge around reproductive health was low, with the authors suggesting that cultural sensitivity and lack of teacher training may be contributing factors. A recent UNICEF U-Report, a free SMS social monitoring tool for youth participation in Myanmar, also found that most survey respondents learned about sexuality education through social media, a source that is often not scientifically accurate or age-appropriate.

At the 2019 UNESCO-led policy seminar, Myanmar government representatives agreed to review Life Skills Education in the context of the UN Technical Guidance, ensuring the sexuality education being delivered is comprehensive and age-appropriate. Representatives also indicated that comprehensive sexuality education should be strengthened as part of current education reforms to the basic education curriculum and pre-service teacher education curriculum.

Min Jeong Kim, Head of UNESCO Myanmar Project Office, welcomed the close working relationship between UNESCO and the Ministry of Education in introducing comprehensive sexuality education into the education system.

“The Ministry of Education has shown strong leadership in their efforts to address the challenges faced by children and young people, such as gender inequalities, and sexual and reproductive health. UNESCO shares this commitment to positively impact young people’s lives and look forward to continuing to work in partnership the curriculum core team and the Teacher Education Colleges to integrate CSE into the new curriculum for teacher education,” Min Jeong Kim said.

Delegates at the policy seminar discussed ways in which to introduce comprehensive sexuality knowledge and related life skills to current and future generations of children and young people in Myanmar. The seminar provided a platform that bridged key stakeholders such as public service providers, development partners and non-Government organizations, with a view to starting a dialogue on comprehensive sexuality education, understanding the gaps and identifying the best way forward for full implementation.

The revised technical guidance on sexuality education

The original international technical Guidance published in 2009 positioned sexuality education primarily as part of the HIV response. However, while HIV prevention remains important, evidence and practice demonstrate that sexuality education has a much broader relevance to other issues, not only for young people’s sexual and reproductive health but also for their overall wellbeing and personal development.

The revised Guidance presents sexuality with a positive approach, recognizing that CSE goes beyond educating about reproduction, risks and disease. It reaffirms the position of sexuality education within a framework of human rights and gender equality. It reflects the contribution of sexuality education to the realization of several internationally agreed commitments in relation to sexual and reproductive health, as well as the achievement of the goals in the 2030 Agenda in relation to health and well-being, quality and inclusive education, gender equality and women and girls empowerment.

Based on a review of the sexuality education around the world and drawing on best practices in the various regions, the Guidance demonstrates that sexuality education:

• helps young people become more responsible in their attitude and behaviour regarding sexual and reproductive health
• is essential to combat the school dropout of girls due to early or forced marriage, teenage pregnancy and sexual and reproductive health issues
• is necessary because in some parts of the world, two out of three girls reported having no idea of what was happening to them when they began menstruating and pregnancy and childbirth complications are the second cause of death among 15 to 19-year olds
• does not increase sexual activity, sexual risk-taking behaviour, or STI/HIV infection rates. It also presents evidence showing that abstinence-only programmes fail to prevent early sexual initiation, or reduce the frequency of sex and number of partners among the young.

Ukraine has announced that it is to allocate $16 million to the country’s AIDS response for 2019-20, which will sustain and expand HIV prevention and support services for key populations as well as care and support services for people living with HIV.

The procurement of HIV services for key populations and people living with HIV from suppliers, including non-governmental organizations, will be managed by the Ministry of Health’s Centre for Public Health, using public procurement procedures. The new process will begin in July.

The move is an important part of Ukraine’s transition from donor funding to a nationally funded AIDS response.  

"Ukraine has taken an important step towards moving from international funding to a nationally coordinated policy and ownership,” said Vladimir Kurpita, director of the Centre for Public Health at the Ministry of Health.

The list of services covered by the new policy includes targeted HIV information services and consultations, harm reduction programmes, including needle exchange and distribution, the distribution of condoms and lubricants, HIV testing and screening for tuberculosis. Key populations prioritized include gay men and other men who have sex with men, sex workers, and people who inject drugs. HIV care and support services include strengthening treatment adherence and retention under medical supervision and the involvement of partners of people living with HIV in health care services.

Mr Kurpita promised a smooth transition and said that the government would procure quality-assured services from local non-governmental organizations with the relevant experience and capacity to deliver.

“Nobody who was reached through prevention, support and care services that were funded by external donors should ever be cut off from the transition to government support,” he said.

The head of the All Ukrainian Network of People Living with HIV, 100% Life, Dima Sherembey, encouraged everyone to engage in the process.

"If you are an NGO service provider, engage in bidding; if you are a representative of the donor community in Ukraine, motivate your partners and subcontractors on the ground; and if you have resources and knowledge, provide technical support and assistance to bidders so that they can be successful recipients and implementers of this important wave of government funding,” he said.

UNAIDS country director Roman Gailevich welcomed Ukraine’s commitment to increase domestic funding for the AIDS response.

“We are entering a new era of the national response to HIV in Ukraine,” he said. “We hope Ukraine will not only show that this new model of procurement of HIV services is viable, but that it will also serve as an example to other countries in the region.”