UN hosts 2016 High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS- The Youths Need To Have Their Voices Heard

UN member states gathered in early June in New York for the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending HIV/AIDS, a meeting convened every five years for governments to reassess their past commitments and progress made in combating the epidemic.

At this year’s meeting, governments adopted the 2016 Political Declaration, the document outlining their commitments to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030. However one alarming thing was noticed during this meeting: a lack of youth participation. Considering the fact that the adverse impact of the epidemic is mostly on young people ages 15-24, it is only natural that one will expect young people to play a role in this high-level meeting. Between 2005-2013, AIDS-related deaths declined among most age groups, but increased 50 percent among young people.

Governments must act immediately to halt the spread of HIV among its young populations, and

young people themselves must be at the center of these efforts. But young people thus far have
been noticeably absent from the decision-making process, and not for lack of trying. Only few youth organizations such as Youth Voices Count (YVC) were present during this meeting. Young people should be involved as partners, leaders and beneficiaries of such high-level meetings if any real impact is to be made in the world.

 At a panel on empowering adolescent girls and young women to access health care services, only two of the 14 panelists were young people. Young people know what’s needed to halt the
spread of HIV. They need governments to acknowledge their sexual and reproductive health
and rights and provide comprehensive sexuality education so they can deal with their sexuality in
a positive way and be armed with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions and protect
themselves from infection. 

Provision of services and information is clearly not enough: Youth also face legal barriers such as
age-of-consent laws when accessing sexual and reproductive health and HIV-related services.
Young people need access to services and information in safe spaces that are free from
stigma and discrimination. 

According to L’Orangelis Thomas Negron of the Network of Positive Youth of Latin America
and the Spanish Caribbean, “We need governments that provide for us, instead of control us, control our bodies, and control our autonomy.”

Despite the lack of space for youth to engage and lead at the High-Level Meeting, the Political
Declaration did make some significant progress for youth in the HIV response. 

The Declaration calls for ambitious targets to halt new infections among adolescent girls and young women while also calling for the elimination of barriers, stigma and discrimination for adolescent and young people. Notably, it calls for governments to provide youth with “comprehensive education on
sexual and reproductive health and HIV prevention” including knowledge of human rights, power in relationships, and gender inequality.

Although “sexuality” education is not included, this is a huge step forward from 2011’s Declaration, which called for abstinence and fidelity as a means to ending new HIV infections. A recent study has concluded that abstinence-only programming is completely ineffective for young people.

Moving forward, these commitments are important for ensuring the HIV response addresses youth effectively. However, if young people are not genuinely integrated in decision-making processes, design, and implementation of programming from the global level down to the community level, they will continue to be left behind in the response. Youth—particularly those living with HIV, young women, and key populations—know what does and does not work for them; governments must consult them if they are serious about ending AIDS by 2030.