Below you will find youth-specific factsheets on topics such as universal access, criminalisation, harm reduction and ICPD. Others will be coming soon. Please check back!

Youth Country Teams Assess their Governments' Progress on Youth and HIV Globally

1.7 billion young people aged 10-24 make up one quarter of the world's population. Approximately 40% of all new HIV infections occur among young people between 15-24 years of age, and there are 5.4 million young people living with HIV. Young people are the face of HIV. We are at higher risk of HIV infection cause we lack access to the crucial information, education, and services to protect themselves. However, our needs are often ignored when data is collected and strategies on HIV and AIDS are drafted, policies developed, and budgets allocated.

This video highlights recommendations from young leaders attending the youth pre-conference at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City and was shown at the NO YOUTH NO CHANGE Dutch Satellite Session. Visit our youth section to learn more about issues important to youth.

Young people have an important role to play and significant contributions to make in addressing all aspects of HIV and AIDS. The 2008 United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV and AIDS was one in a series of opportunities for young people to interact with global government and civil society to ensure that the United Nations (UN) member states are held accountable for progress made toward the goal of universal access by 2010. Click below to read the youth report on the HLM.

This report illustrates what the International Aids Conference 2008 has meant for young people and describes the highlights and day to day efforts carried out by young people - as reported by the youth rapporteur: Annelies Mesman

Youth campaigning posters and brochures are now available online to download! Below you can download the English, French, Russian, Spanish and Portuguese versions. Additional language versions will be coming soon, so please check back!! For more on youth campaigning, please click here.

The Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS, together with UNFPA have produced a fact sheet on young people and HIV.

Some of the key facts:

• Globally, 1.7 billion young people aged 10-24 make up one quarter of the world’s population, 1.5 billion of them in developing countries. Despite young people’s vulnerability to HIV infection, their needs are often overlooked when national AIDS strategies are designed and implemented.
• As of 2007, an estimated 33.2 million people were living with HIV, 5.4 million of whom were young people 15-24 years of age. (2) Over 3,000 young people are infected with HIV daily, most of them female.
  
• In 2001 governments committed that by 2005, 90% of young people would be able to correctly identify modes of HIV transmission and prevention. Yet as of 2007, only 40% of young males and only 36% of young females had accurate HIV knowledge.
  
• There are currently 12 million children and adolescents who have lost one or both parents to AIDS (6), and this number is expected to grow to 25 million by 2010.
  
• Laws that prohibit young people under 18 from accessing HIV testing or health services without parental consent are a major barrier to reaching young people at risk for infection.

The next International AIDS Conference will take place August 3-8, 2008, in Mexico City, bringing together around 25,000 health professionals, activists, donours, and stakeholders. A consortium of youth-led and youth-serving organisations have come together as the Mexico City YouthForce to ensure the meaningful participation of young leaders at the Conference.

For World AIDS Day 2008, Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GYCA) is partnering again with World AIDS Campaign to coordinate youth-led World AIDS Day events worldwide.

Please see below to download the 2007 World AIDS Day manual from the International Federation of Medical Students' Association (IFMSA ). The manual includes more information about the World AIDS Day theme of leadership and how it specifically pertains to medical students, and how youth groups can get involved on World AIDS Day.