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Young leaders organise against HIV in 34 countries
Child rights and HIV and AIDS
This year's theme: Leadership
Resources on HIV and AIDS

Young leaders organise against HIV in 34 countries

[NEW YORK, 27 November 2007] – HIV and AIDS is one of the greatest challenges facing the world today – and young people remain at the centre of the epidemic in terms of infection rates and potential for change. This World AIDS Day, 1 December 2007, members of the Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GYCA) are organising 104 events in 34 countries to highlight the pressing need to build youth leadership and to listen to the voices of young leaders fighting HIV and AIDS in their communities.

GYCA events, organised in partnership with the World AIDS Campaign's "Take the Lead" World AIDS Day initiative, include concerts, workshops, rallies and more. In Ghana, a series of soccer matches will be coordinated under the theme “Kick HIV out! In Venezuela, teenagers will give their input to local government projects to fight HIV. In Macedonia, young people will decorate public Christmas trees with messages about HIV prevention and the importance of open communication around sexuality and health.

According to GYCA National Focal Point Yahya Poli of Tanzania, World AIDS Day events are key opportunities to increase public awareness. “Youth and the community at large need a space where they can freely share information, knowledge and experiences about HIV,” he said. GYCA National Focal Point Esther Eshiet of Nigeria, a peer educator who teaches other girls about sexuality, health and HIV, added, “Youth leadership is what we need to make actual progress! Since we are the worst hit, we have to take the lead to stamp out the virus.”

Young people are particularly affected by HIV and AIDS – about 40 per cent of the 2.5 million new infections each year occur in people aged 15 to 24. Yet young leaders are also uniting to inspire others from our generation to take action against HIV and AIDS on their own terms - through street theatre, care for AIDS orphans, peer education and work with young injecting drug users. Young people must be supported with the training, funding and leadership opportunities that will enable youth to truly “Take the Lead” in the fight against HIV and AIDS.

GYCA World AIDS Day gatherings are currently planned for Algeria, Australia, Bangladesh, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Eritrea, Ghana, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Liberia, Macedonia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, Somaliland, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, United States, Vietnam, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. Please visit www.youthaidscoalition.org/activities.html for more information on locations, times and event descriptions.

The Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GYCA) is an alliance of 3,000 young leaders and adult allies in over 150 countries working on HIV and AIDS. For more information, please visit http://www.youthaidscoalition.org.

Child rights and HIV and AIDS

HIV and AIDS rivals poverty and exceeds war as a threat to the lives of millions of children in the developing world. Coordinated action must be taken to protect the rights of children infected and affected by HIV and AIDS to treatment, prevention and care.

The facts are startling:

As of December 2005 40.3 million people living with HIV, of which 2.3 million are children.
4.9 million people newly infected with HIV in 2005, of which 700,000 are children under 15 years of age.
There were 3.1 million AIDS related deaths in 2005, of which 570,000 were children under 15 years of age.
Every 14 seconds, another parent dies of AIDS, leaving behind an orphaned child.

The epidemic is spreading through countries and across continents, threatening to undermine decades of progress in social and economic development. Unless the world takes urgent account of the specific impact of AIDS on children there will be no chance of meeting Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 6 - to halt and begin to reverse the spread of the disease by 2015. Failure to meet the goal on HIV and AIDS will adversely affect the world’s chances of progress on the other MDGs.

HIV and AIDS and the Convention on the Rights of the Child

Although the CRC does not specifically mention HIV and AIDS, there are provisions in the treaty that offer children protection from the consequences of HIV and AIDS. including the ones mentioned here. Oftentimes, children who suffer of whose parents suffer from HIV and AIDS are subject to stigma and discrimination. Under article 2 there is the right to non-discrimination on numerous grounds, including race, colour, sex and other status. HIV and AIDS falls under the latter. Children have the right to the treatment of illness under article 24. The State has the obligation to fulfill these rights.

In November 2003 the Committee on the Rights of the Child adopted its General Comment No. 3 on "HIV/AIDS and the Rights of the Child."

More information about this year's theme: Leadership

“Leadership” will be the theme for the 2007 and 2008 World AIDS Day, the World AIDS Campaign announced today. Promoted with the slogan, “Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise.”, which is the World AIDS Campaign emphasis from 2005-2010, “leadership” will build on the 2006 World AIDS Day focus on accountability. World AIDS Day is celebrated on 1 December each year.

The theme for World AIDS Day has been determined by the World AIDS Campaign since 1997. The Global Steering Committee (GSC) of the World AIDS Campaign selected the theme of leadership during their meeting held in Geneva , 8-9 February 2007, agreeing to launch the theme in the first week of March.

Some statements on what leadership means to some of the GSC members who represent important stakeholders in the response to HIV and AIDS:

Linda Hartke, Coordinator, Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance: “Leadership can imply the power and authority to make a difference, to lead by action and example. In many faith contexts, though, a leader is a servant - someone who responds to the needs of the community, supports others in their planning and action, and empowers people by both words and resources. By taking on the global theme of leadership for World AIDS Day, faith leaders and the communities they are a part of can help articulate a vision, build relationships and take concrete action in solidarity with all people committed to reaching universal access for HIV prevention, treatment and care.”

Deloris Dockrey, Chairperson, Global Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS and representative for International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS: “We are still dying! Leadership requires that we face this reality. While leadership is a strong call and can easily be embraced, I have been very disappointed with our leaders. While scaling up of HIV care is prioritised, it is under funded and poorly implemented. Faith leaders continue to deny the existence of HIV/AIDS in the communities and congregations they serve. Governments are complacent, and have not provided the leadership needed to end the epidemic.”

Alan Leather, Chairperson, Global Unions Programme on HIV/AIDS: “Trade unions are mass membership organisations with leaders at global, national and community levels. Labour leaders have mobilised their networks, integrated AIDS in their programmes, defended the rights of workers with HIV, encouraged voluntary testing, and promoted workplace action. Union advocacy and leadership is crucial if countries are to achieve universal access to treatment, care and prevention by 2010."

Mabel Bianco, Coordinator, International Women’s AIDS Caucus and President, FEIM: “All gender and women related issues in the context of HIV/AIDS are inter-connected and inter-linked. Thus we recognise that all forms of leadership must be included in responses to HIV/AIDS. Women’s movements and NGOs, particularly organisations and networks of people living with HIV/AIDS, as well as grassroots organisations, have played imperative roles in demonstrating important and effective leaderships in prevention, care and treatment of HIV/AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic.”

Prateek Suman, Youth Coalition: ”Young people are the worst hit by HIV/AIDS but they also have a vital role to play in the fight against the pandemic. Youth leadership is essential to an effective international response to HIV/AIDS and young people must be empowered with the knowledge, skills and resources they need in order to achieve the goal of universal access by 2010.”

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World AIDS Day 2007: This year's theme is 'leadership'

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