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Global HIV Prevention Coalition
news item

| 10 December 2018

Statement: The Global HIV Prevention Coalition

Joint statement by Dr Alvaro Bermejo and Professor Sheila Tlou, the co-chairs of the Global HIV Prevention Coalition welcoming the Global Partnership to Eliminate all forms of HIV-related Stigma and Discrimination:  "Addressing stigma and discrimination remains at the core of ensuring effective scaled HIV prevention programmes and HIV programmes overall. Efforts and investments to eliminate stigma and discrimination, which are violations of human rights, remain insufficient. The Global HIV Prevention Coalition and the actions on comprehensive prevention programmes, addressing biomedical, behavioural and structural issues, called for in the 2020 HIV Prevention Roadmap include stigma and discrimination.     People face discrimination every day based on who they are, who they love or what they do or how old they are. Human rights challenges, including stigma and discrimination, denial of sexual and reproductive health and rights, punitive approaches and misuse of criminal law remain key barriers to an effective HIV prevention response.    The Global HIV Prevention Coalition looks forward to working closely with GNP+, UN Women, UNDP and the UNAIDS Secretariat to accelerate global action towards the elimination of HIV-related stigma and discrimination to help close prevention, testing, and treatment gaps."

Global HIV Prevention Coalition
news_item

| 10 December 2018

Statement: The Global HIV Prevention Coalition

Joint statement by Dr Alvaro Bermejo and Professor Sheila Tlou, the co-chairs of the Global HIV Prevention Coalition welcoming the Global Partnership to Eliminate all forms of HIV-related Stigma and Discrimination:  "Addressing stigma and discrimination remains at the core of ensuring effective scaled HIV prevention programmes and HIV programmes overall. Efforts and investments to eliminate stigma and discrimination, which are violations of human rights, remain insufficient. The Global HIV Prevention Coalition and the actions on comprehensive prevention programmes, addressing biomedical, behavioural and structural issues, called for in the 2020 HIV Prevention Roadmap include stigma and discrimination.     People face discrimination every day based on who they are, who they love or what they do or how old they are. Human rights challenges, including stigma and discrimination, denial of sexual and reproductive health and rights, punitive approaches and misuse of criminal law remain key barriers to an effective HIV prevention response.    The Global HIV Prevention Coalition looks forward to working closely with GNP+, UN Women, UNDP and the UNAIDS Secretariat to accelerate global action towards the elimination of HIV-related stigma and discrimination to help close prevention, testing, and treatment gaps."

Dutch SRHR
news item

| 28 February 2018

IPPF and Rutgers coordinate the first-ever SRHR pre-conference at AIDS2018

The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and Rutgers are leading the coordination of the first-ever pre-conference focussed on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) ahead of the 22nd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2018) in Amsterdam this year. With the Netherlands, a long-standing champion and supporter of SRHR, AIDS 2018 provides the perfect opportunity to help guarantee the health, rights, and general well-being of all people, including women and girls, people living with HIV, and key populations. While poor sexual and reproductive health and HIV share common root causes, the respective responses to HIV and to SRHR remain largely unaligned and uncoordinated. Now more than ever there is a need for joint action, but this need remains under-appreciated, inadequately resourced, and insufficiently leveraged for the greater good. The one-day pre-conference on 21 July 2018 will be organized for up to 100 participants and aims to create a vibrant and inclusive platform on which to: Foster thematic learning and networking focused on this integration Facilitate global connections Further unite HIV and SRHR responses to achieve the ambitious targets set within the Sustainable Development Goals – including lessons learned on the impact of the Global Gag Rule You can download the Pre-Conference Roadmap.

Dutch SRHR
news_item

| 28 February 2018

IPPF and Rutgers coordinate the first-ever SRHR pre-conference at AIDS2018

The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and Rutgers are leading the coordination of the first-ever pre-conference focussed on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) ahead of the 22nd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2018) in Amsterdam this year. With the Netherlands, a long-standing champion and supporter of SRHR, AIDS 2018 provides the perfect opportunity to help guarantee the health, rights, and general well-being of all people, including women and girls, people living with HIV, and key populations. While poor sexual and reproductive health and HIV share common root causes, the respective responses to HIV and to SRHR remain largely unaligned and uncoordinated. Now more than ever there is a need for joint action, but this need remains under-appreciated, inadequately resourced, and insufficiently leveraged for the greater good. The one-day pre-conference on 21 July 2018 will be organized for up to 100 participants and aims to create a vibrant and inclusive platform on which to: Foster thematic learning and networking focused on this integration Facilitate global connections Further unite HIV and SRHR responses to achieve the ambitious targets set within the Sustainable Development Goals – including lessons learned on the impact of the Global Gag Rule You can download the Pre-Conference Roadmap.

Yemen mobile clinic IPPF
news item

| 30 March 2017

IPPF responds to the announcement of funding from the Government of Japan

IPPF’s Director General, Tewodros Melesse, has paid tribute to the Government and people of Japan, following the announcement that Japan will support the provision of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for 2017.  The Japanese Government has announced that it will contribute approximately 3.1 billion yen (roughly $28 million) to IPPF and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in annual support.  Mr Melesse said: “IPPF is grateful for Japan’s continuing support to SRHR through funding IPPF and UNFPA. Particularly in the current negative climate around SRHR, Japan’s expression of its strong will to continue its support for SRHR is warmly welcome.”  “Japan’s long-lasting support for IPPF and for sexual and reproductive health care and rights has always been appreciated. These funds will help IPPF member associations around the world mitigate the cuts in funding we are seeing from some other sources. This will help protect health and save the lives of many people, especially women and girls.”  Mr Melesse added: “We agree completely with the Government of Japan when it says that the provision of services relating to sexual and reproductive health and rights is essential for realizing universal health coverage (UHC), that ensures affordable access to basic health services for all whenever they need them throughout their lives.  This is stated clearly in the Basic Design for Peace and Health, Japan’s global health policy and one of the outcome documents of the G7 Ise-Shima Summit, as well as in an outcome document from the The World Assembly for Women in Tokyo 2016 (WAW), the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI).  IPPF would like to congratulate Japan’s leadership and commits to working closely with the Government of Japan to make a real difference to the lives of women, men and young people in around world and to achieve the Strategic Development Goals.”  IPPF received approximately $1.13m  from Japan in early 2017 for its activities targeted to Syrian refugees and internally displaced people, and will receive funding of $7.76m which was recently approved by the Japanese Parliaments.  

Yemen mobile clinic IPPF
news_item

| 30 March 2017

IPPF responds to the announcement of funding from the Government of Japan

IPPF’s Director General, Tewodros Melesse, has paid tribute to the Government and people of Japan, following the announcement that Japan will support the provision of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for 2017.  The Japanese Government has announced that it will contribute approximately 3.1 billion yen (roughly $28 million) to IPPF and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in annual support.  Mr Melesse said: “IPPF is grateful for Japan’s continuing support to SRHR through funding IPPF and UNFPA. Particularly in the current negative climate around SRHR, Japan’s expression of its strong will to continue its support for SRHR is warmly welcome.”  “Japan’s long-lasting support for IPPF and for sexual and reproductive health care and rights has always been appreciated. These funds will help IPPF member associations around the world mitigate the cuts in funding we are seeing from some other sources. This will help protect health and save the lives of many people, especially women and girls.”  Mr Melesse added: “We agree completely with the Government of Japan when it says that the provision of services relating to sexual and reproductive health and rights is essential for realizing universal health coverage (UHC), that ensures affordable access to basic health services for all whenever they need them throughout their lives.  This is stated clearly in the Basic Design for Peace and Health, Japan’s global health policy and one of the outcome documents of the G7 Ise-Shima Summit, as well as in an outcome document from the The World Assembly for Women in Tokyo 2016 (WAW), the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI).  IPPF would like to congratulate Japan’s leadership and commits to working closely with the Government of Japan to make a real difference to the lives of women, men and young people in around world and to achieve the Strategic Development Goals.”  IPPF received approximately $1.13m  from Japan in early 2017 for its activities targeted to Syrian refugees and internally displaced people, and will receive funding of $7.76m which was recently approved by the Japanese Parliaments.  

women in Nepal, one of the country affected by the Global Gag Rule
news item

| 30 January 2017

Extended Mexico City Policy detrimental to health care of world's poorest

Mexico City Policy will have a devastating impact for International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) with its extension far beyond family planning.  Restrictions into support for HIV, maternal health and infectious diseases programmes will mean that millions will be denied lifesaving healthcare they need. The policy will hit hardest, the women living at the margins of society – the poorest, the most remote and those under 25.    The Global Gag Rule, also known as the Mexico City Policy, denies US funding to organizations who provide any abortion related services, including counselling, even when such services are legal in a national context.   IPPF has a special focus on working with the world’s most poor and vulnerable and tailoring services to meet their needs. At country levels, the US funding loss will reduce or halt IPPF’s services and arrest opportunities to scale up, build capacity and reach more people.   Tewodros Melesse, IPPF Director General, said in reaction, “For over 30 years, the Mexico City Policy has played politics with women’s lives. It is a cynical attempt to silence the choice and voice of the world’s poorest women.  As a champion for them and people everywhere, we will not be held back.   "This extended policy covers every aspect of IPPF’s work with the world's poorest people. It also fails in its stated intent to reduce the global incidence of abortion. With the expansion of its restrictions to work on broader health efforts it is short-sighted and dangerous, and threatens years of IPPF gains to advance the health and well-being of communities and undercuts health care access for millions worldwide.”   The extended policy will now affect IPPF’s long record of working on HIV prevention in more than 20 countries covering Africa and Latin America often providing clients integrated sexual and reproductive health care services. The Global Gag rule could also endanger emergency funding for Zika prevention, education and health services in Latin America and the Caribbean, where the epidemic continues to rage.   Examples of Country Impact: Barbados: IPPF partner Barbados Family Planning Association receives funding from the U.S. government to provide HIV prevention and education services to at-risk, hard-to-reach populations including men who have sex with men. The Caribbean has the second-highest HIV prevalence rate among adults after Sub-Saharan Africa.   Nepal: IPPF aims to increase voluntary use of family planning services by increasing accessibility and availability of quality comprehensive family planning services to the hard to reach, disadvantaged, poor and adolescent populations in 11 districts and increase access to voluntary family planning information, education, and services. Nepal has failing and patchy family planning coverage which is often only available at certain times of the year. IPPF are working closely with the government to expand and strengthen static clinics in selected district hospitals, health posts and health facilities with birthing centers to reach all year round, reaching eligible couples with high unmet need. Malawi: The Family Planning Association of Malawi are providing much needed integrated family planning and HIV prevention to young adolescent and women in Malawi via clinics and outreach teams travelling to communities to raise awareness and offer services for vulnerable young women to prevent and treat sexual  gender based violence, HIV infection and access to family planning. Without funding they will no longer be able to provide or expand this vital information, support community learning and offer both family planning services and treatment for sexual and gender based violence in one place.   The rule blocks critical funding for health services like contraception, maternal health, and HIV prevention and treatment for any organization that refuses to sign up to it.    For IPPF, it means foregoing US$100,000,000 that would be directed to proven programmes that provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services for millions of women and girls who would otherwise go without vital services that save lives.   IPPF is the world’s largest women’s health network with members in 170 countries with over 45,000 service delivery points delivering over 300 services a minute. Individuals can donate to IPPF’s online appeal www.ippf.org/donate     WANT TO GET INVOLVED? SUBSCRIBE NOW TO GET UPDATES FROM IPPF SUPPORT OUR WORK WITH A DONATION JOIN OUR THUNDERCLAP     View my Flipboard Magazine.

women in Nepal, one of the country affected by the Global Gag Rule
news_item

| 30 January 2017

Extended Mexico City Policy detrimental to health care of world's poorest

Mexico City Policy will have a devastating impact for International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) with its extension far beyond family planning.  Restrictions into support for HIV, maternal health and infectious diseases programmes will mean that millions will be denied lifesaving healthcare they need. The policy will hit hardest, the women living at the margins of society – the poorest, the most remote and those under 25.    The Global Gag Rule, also known as the Mexico City Policy, denies US funding to organizations who provide any abortion related services, including counselling, even when such services are legal in a national context.   IPPF has a special focus on working with the world’s most poor and vulnerable and tailoring services to meet their needs. At country levels, the US funding loss will reduce or halt IPPF’s services and arrest opportunities to scale up, build capacity and reach more people.   Tewodros Melesse, IPPF Director General, said in reaction, “For over 30 years, the Mexico City Policy has played politics with women’s lives. It is a cynical attempt to silence the choice and voice of the world’s poorest women.  As a champion for them and people everywhere, we will not be held back.   "This extended policy covers every aspect of IPPF’s work with the world's poorest people. It also fails in its stated intent to reduce the global incidence of abortion. With the expansion of its restrictions to work on broader health efforts it is short-sighted and dangerous, and threatens years of IPPF gains to advance the health and well-being of communities and undercuts health care access for millions worldwide.”   The extended policy will now affect IPPF’s long record of working on HIV prevention in more than 20 countries covering Africa and Latin America often providing clients integrated sexual and reproductive health care services. The Global Gag rule could also endanger emergency funding for Zika prevention, education and health services in Latin America and the Caribbean, where the epidemic continues to rage.   Examples of Country Impact: Barbados: IPPF partner Barbados Family Planning Association receives funding from the U.S. government to provide HIV prevention and education services to at-risk, hard-to-reach populations including men who have sex with men. The Caribbean has the second-highest HIV prevalence rate among adults after Sub-Saharan Africa.   Nepal: IPPF aims to increase voluntary use of family planning services by increasing accessibility and availability of quality comprehensive family planning services to the hard to reach, disadvantaged, poor and adolescent populations in 11 districts and increase access to voluntary family planning information, education, and services. Nepal has failing and patchy family planning coverage which is often only available at certain times of the year. IPPF are working closely with the government to expand and strengthen static clinics in selected district hospitals, health posts and health facilities with birthing centers to reach all year round, reaching eligible couples with high unmet need. Malawi: The Family Planning Association of Malawi are providing much needed integrated family planning and HIV prevention to young adolescent and women in Malawi via clinics and outreach teams travelling to communities to raise awareness and offer services for vulnerable young women to prevent and treat sexual  gender based violence, HIV infection and access to family planning. Without funding they will no longer be able to provide or expand this vital information, support community learning and offer both family planning services and treatment for sexual and gender based violence in one place.   The rule blocks critical funding for health services like contraception, maternal health, and HIV prevention and treatment for any organization that refuses to sign up to it.    For IPPF, it means foregoing US$100,000,000 that would be directed to proven programmes that provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services for millions of women and girls who would otherwise go without vital services that save lives.   IPPF is the world’s largest women’s health network with members in 170 countries with over 45,000 service delivery points delivering over 300 services a minute. Individuals can donate to IPPF’s online appeal www.ippf.org/donate     WANT TO GET INVOLVED? SUBSCRIBE NOW TO GET UPDATES FROM IPPF SUPPORT OUR WORK WITH A DONATION JOIN OUR THUNDERCLAP     View my Flipboard Magazine.

activist in Swaziland during World AIDS day initiatives
news item

| 02 December 2016

‘Hands Up for HIV Prevention’ says IPPF Director General in Swaziland for World AIDS Day 2016

Mankayane, Swaziland - On 1 December, IPPF Director General, Tewodros Melesse, made an address on the occasion of World AIDS Day in the Kingdom of Swaziland along with His Excellency the Right Honourable Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Paul Dlamini, Honourable Minister of Health Ms Sibongile Ndlela Simelane, United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mr Israel Dessalegne, and the United States of America Ambassador to Swaziland, Ms Lisa Peterson. "It is an honour and a privilege to be commemorating World AIDS Day with you, the Swazi people. Every year, World AIDS Day provides us with the opportunity to take stock of how far we have come since the early days of the epidemic. I’d like to begin by taking us 30 years back in time, which was 1986. That year, IBM unveiled the first laptop. Mobile phones were the size and weight of large bricks. In apartheid-era of South Africa, Nelson Mandela was behind bars; and here in Swaziland, the country recorded its first case of HIV/AIDS. Many of you here today will agree with me when I say that, while Swaziland has not been immune to the many ways in which the world has changed over the past thirty years, it is the HIV epidemic more than anything else that has shaped this country during that time. For those of you who have lived through the epidemic, you will remember all too well the fear and the stigma that ran through this country and many African countries. You will remember how little we knew about HIV, and about how to prevent it. People living with HIV at this time deserve to be honoured. You showed us the strength and determination to fight for change. You were brave and angry, and gave hope to others. As I stand in front of you, I am keenly aware that there is not a single person here whose life, one way or another, has not been affected by HIV, and that all young people here today have never seen a world without HIV. The young people are the future but we have to remind ourselves that there is no future if we don’t invest in prevention. Many of you have loved ones who were taken from this world before their time. You grieved and continue to grieve the loss of brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, children, grandchildren, friends, colleagues, and many others. These vibrant souls, remain with us always, in our hearts and in our minds, and give us energy to continue in the future. We can now take some comfort from the fact that the picture has changed dramatically in these past thirty years. Most significantly, people living with HIV are now living longer, healthier, and productive lives well into their old age, thanks to the availability of antiretroviral treatment that has transformed HIV infection into a chronic, manageable condition. I would like to take this moment to commend the Government of the Kingdom of Swaziland for its commitment to providing antiretrovirals free to all who need treatment. The impact of this cannot be underestimated. AIDS-related mortality has reduced by drastically and accordingly, life expectancy has now rebounded. The transmission of HIV from mother to child is close to being eliminated along with syphilis. And overall, Swaziland has also begun to see a downward trend of new HIV infections, especially among young people. ‘Now is not the time to be complacent’ These are remarkable successes, and Swaziland has established a strong foundation. Critically, this is a foundation upon which to build - not to rest. We cannot risk becoming complacent, as HIV remains the greatest public health and socio-economic challenge facing this country. Importantly, our response must be integrated with other key challenges. We know that there is a high unmet need for family planning, leading to high levels of unwanted pregnancy; we know that maternal and infant mortality is unacceptably high; and we know that the overall knowledge of sexual and reproductive health is exceptionally low among young people. ‘There is a serious prevention gap’ This situation is not unique to Swaziland. UNAIDS is raising the alarm about the global picture and what it calls the ‘prevention gap’. Efforts to meet the global target of ending AIDS by 2030 are off track and progress is at risk of stalling. The global community warns that if there is a resurgence of HIV, the epidemic will be impossible to control. This cannot be allowed to happen. Primary prevention has been and will continue to be an essential component of the HIV response. To attain an AIDS-free generation, we need new solutions, new innovations and, importantly, we need to reinvigorate our prevention efforts. Prevention saves lives, saves budget, and increases productivity. ‘Hands Up for HIV Prevention’ Today, people across the global are raising their hands to HIV prevention this World AIDS Day. There is no ‘one size that fits all’ and we must pay special attention to those that continue to be left behind. Young women and girls are at a particularly high risk of HIV infection. They need information and the freedom to make free and informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health; they need access to effective HIV and sexual and reproductive health services; they need services that are youth-friendly; and they need gender-based violence to be eliminated and gender inequalities to be eradicated. We are also leaving key populations behind – including sex workers, people who inject drugs, transgender people, and men who have sex with men. Many countries in the world push these populations to the margins of society. It is essential that our prevention efforts bring these populations forward. To end HIV, no one can be left behind. I must commend the efforts to ensure the meaningful engagement of these populations; and by taking steps to remove barriers to access services. At the root of all of our prevention efforts is a recognition that the HIV epidemic is being fuelled by inequalities and prejudices entrenched within the legal, social and economic structures of society. Poverty, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of discrimination – are well known barriers to ending HIV. To ensure that everyone can live a life of hope, with dignity, respect and meaning – people must be free to make choices about their sexuality and well-being, in a world without discrimination. ‘We need to work together to give hope’ I truly believe that we will not see an end to HIV unless we work together, be it at the local level, the regional level or at the global level. The remarkable successes that we have witnessed have been the result, not of a single actor, but of a chorus of voices that have called out in unison for better access; and that demanded respect, care and compassion. Civil society in particular has an incredible track record of mobilizing the required response. It has been instrumental in changing public attitudes and perceptions, and has also be mobilised to address barriers that prevent people from realising their right to health. In conclusion, the power to end HIV and AIDS does not lie with a single individual, with a single organisation, or government structure. When we leverage the unique skills that we all bring to the table, we will reach our goal of ending AIDS both in Swaziland and the world. This power is ours and the time to act is now. If we work together as Obama says, ‘Yes, we can!’, then we can do it. I leave you with a story. Like FLAS, I visited the IPPF association in Iran who are working with underserved communities, such as sex workers, and integrating in society. I asked one young woman, ‘if you were God for fifteen minutes, what would you do?’ She said, ‘I would give hope, if you have hope, you can overcome your challenges’. We need to keep that hope and give that hope to the people. We can give that hope by doing it together."

activist in Swaziland during World AIDS day initiatives
news_item

| 02 December 2016

‘Hands Up for HIV Prevention’ says IPPF Director General in Swaziland for World AIDS Day 2016

Mankayane, Swaziland - On 1 December, IPPF Director General, Tewodros Melesse, made an address on the occasion of World AIDS Day in the Kingdom of Swaziland along with His Excellency the Right Honourable Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Paul Dlamini, Honourable Minister of Health Ms Sibongile Ndlela Simelane, United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mr Israel Dessalegne, and the United States of America Ambassador to Swaziland, Ms Lisa Peterson. "It is an honour and a privilege to be commemorating World AIDS Day with you, the Swazi people. Every year, World AIDS Day provides us with the opportunity to take stock of how far we have come since the early days of the epidemic. I’d like to begin by taking us 30 years back in time, which was 1986. That year, IBM unveiled the first laptop. Mobile phones were the size and weight of large bricks. In apartheid-era of South Africa, Nelson Mandela was behind bars; and here in Swaziland, the country recorded its first case of HIV/AIDS. Many of you here today will agree with me when I say that, while Swaziland has not been immune to the many ways in which the world has changed over the past thirty years, it is the HIV epidemic more than anything else that has shaped this country during that time. For those of you who have lived through the epidemic, you will remember all too well the fear and the stigma that ran through this country and many African countries. You will remember how little we knew about HIV, and about how to prevent it. People living with HIV at this time deserve to be honoured. You showed us the strength and determination to fight for change. You were brave and angry, and gave hope to others. As I stand in front of you, I am keenly aware that there is not a single person here whose life, one way or another, has not been affected by HIV, and that all young people here today have never seen a world without HIV. The young people are the future but we have to remind ourselves that there is no future if we don’t invest in prevention. Many of you have loved ones who were taken from this world before their time. You grieved and continue to grieve the loss of brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, children, grandchildren, friends, colleagues, and many others. These vibrant souls, remain with us always, in our hearts and in our minds, and give us energy to continue in the future. We can now take some comfort from the fact that the picture has changed dramatically in these past thirty years. Most significantly, people living with HIV are now living longer, healthier, and productive lives well into their old age, thanks to the availability of antiretroviral treatment that has transformed HIV infection into a chronic, manageable condition. I would like to take this moment to commend the Government of the Kingdom of Swaziland for its commitment to providing antiretrovirals free to all who need treatment. The impact of this cannot be underestimated. AIDS-related mortality has reduced by drastically and accordingly, life expectancy has now rebounded. The transmission of HIV from mother to child is close to being eliminated along with syphilis. And overall, Swaziland has also begun to see a downward trend of new HIV infections, especially among young people. ‘Now is not the time to be complacent’ These are remarkable successes, and Swaziland has established a strong foundation. Critically, this is a foundation upon which to build - not to rest. We cannot risk becoming complacent, as HIV remains the greatest public health and socio-economic challenge facing this country. Importantly, our response must be integrated with other key challenges. We know that there is a high unmet need for family planning, leading to high levels of unwanted pregnancy; we know that maternal and infant mortality is unacceptably high; and we know that the overall knowledge of sexual and reproductive health is exceptionally low among young people. ‘There is a serious prevention gap’ This situation is not unique to Swaziland. UNAIDS is raising the alarm about the global picture and what it calls the ‘prevention gap’. Efforts to meet the global target of ending AIDS by 2030 are off track and progress is at risk of stalling. The global community warns that if there is a resurgence of HIV, the epidemic will be impossible to control. This cannot be allowed to happen. Primary prevention has been and will continue to be an essential component of the HIV response. To attain an AIDS-free generation, we need new solutions, new innovations and, importantly, we need to reinvigorate our prevention efforts. Prevention saves lives, saves budget, and increases productivity. ‘Hands Up for HIV Prevention’ Today, people across the global are raising their hands to HIV prevention this World AIDS Day. There is no ‘one size that fits all’ and we must pay special attention to those that continue to be left behind. Young women and girls are at a particularly high risk of HIV infection. They need information and the freedom to make free and informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health; they need access to effective HIV and sexual and reproductive health services; they need services that are youth-friendly; and they need gender-based violence to be eliminated and gender inequalities to be eradicated. We are also leaving key populations behind – including sex workers, people who inject drugs, transgender people, and men who have sex with men. Many countries in the world push these populations to the margins of society. It is essential that our prevention efforts bring these populations forward. To end HIV, no one can be left behind. I must commend the efforts to ensure the meaningful engagement of these populations; and by taking steps to remove barriers to access services. At the root of all of our prevention efforts is a recognition that the HIV epidemic is being fuelled by inequalities and prejudices entrenched within the legal, social and economic structures of society. Poverty, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of discrimination – are well known barriers to ending HIV. To ensure that everyone can live a life of hope, with dignity, respect and meaning – people must be free to make choices about their sexuality and well-being, in a world without discrimination. ‘We need to work together to give hope’ I truly believe that we will not see an end to HIV unless we work together, be it at the local level, the regional level or at the global level. The remarkable successes that we have witnessed have been the result, not of a single actor, but of a chorus of voices that have called out in unison for better access; and that demanded respect, care and compassion. Civil society in particular has an incredible track record of mobilizing the required response. It has been instrumental in changing public attitudes and perceptions, and has also be mobilised to address barriers that prevent people from realising their right to health. In conclusion, the power to end HIV and AIDS does not lie with a single individual, with a single organisation, or government structure. When we leverage the unique skills that we all bring to the table, we will reach our goal of ending AIDS both in Swaziland and the world. This power is ours and the time to act is now. If we work together as Obama says, ‘Yes, we can!’, then we can do it. I leave you with a story. Like FLAS, I visited the IPPF association in Iran who are working with underserved communities, such as sex workers, and integrating in society. I asked one young woman, ‘if you were God for fifteen minutes, what would you do?’ She said, ‘I would give hope, if you have hope, you can overcome your challenges’. We need to keep that hope and give that hope to the people. We can give that hope by doing it together."

Young woman in Rwanda
news item

| 18 April 2016

Progress on realising the SRHR promise to African youth at CPD49

Today at the 49th meeting of the United Nations Commission on Population and Development in New York, IPPF’s Director General, Tewodros Melesse spoke to a full room as part of a side-event panel addressing the topic of young people in Africa. The side-event was chaired by South Africa’s Ambassador Kingsley Mamabolo who deftly steered the discussion. The first panellist was UNFPA’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Dr Jullita Onabanjo. She spoke about the importance of the Addis Ababa Declaration on Population and Development for the region. The Declaration was agreed in October 2013 as part of a series of regional reviews feeding into the overall review of progress on the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). The Declaration, agreed by African Governments, sets out a series of commitments to action, including on sexual and reproductive health, comprehensive sexuality education, data collection and governance: http://icpdbeyond2014.org/pages/view/6-africa Dr Onabanjo called for African governments to share their national experience and learning arising from efforts to implement the Addis Declaration. She looked forward to a platform for this exchange which would also support monitoring of progress on the Declaration and accountability. She recommended a structured and continuous dialogue to take stock and relate monitoring of the Declaration to broader monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals. The second speaker, Zane Dangor, Special Advisor to the Minister of Social Development, South Africa, started by sharing shocking stories of young women who had suffered or died because they lacked access to safe abortion services. He also told us how Eudy Simelane, a female footballer from South Africa’s national team, was raped and murdered because she was openly lesbian. Zane explained that the Addis Ababa Declaration provides guidance on what states need to do to prevent suffering and deaths like these. South Africa has enacted hate crimes legislation to protect people like Eudy based on domestic legislation, and international agreements, including the Addis Declaration. South Africa has also established an inter-ministerial committee on Population and Development matters to monitor implementation of local, regional and international agreements. Additionally, South Africa has worked to identify gaps in health systems in relation to provision of sexual and reproductive health and rights services that are free from stigmatization and discrimination. Zane described how particular paragraphs in the Addis Declaration provided guidance to South Africa, citing sections about revision of discriminatory laws and policies; ensuring legal systems comply with international human rights regulations and laws; promulgation and enforcement of laws to prevent and punish hate crimes and to protect all people from discrimination and violence; and operationalisation of the right to the highest attainable standard of health. Pointing out that sexual and reproductive health and rights can never be divorced from the pursuit of gender equality and equity, and the full empowerment of women, Zane stressed that the Addis Declaration builds on existing provisions of the African Union to recognise and promote women’s human rights and that it commits governments across Africa to harmonise national legislation with all the relevant international instruments on gender equality and women’s empowerment. Zane concluded with a reminder that the Addis Declaration recognises that we must not choose between rights and development, and that the one cannot be achieved without the other. He supported references to the outcome documents of the regional review conferences – such as the Addis Declaration – in the final resolutions of the Commission for Population and Development, pointing out that words in this context are windows to our consciousness, so we need to embody the spirit of leaving no one behind and ending violence based on discriminatory laws and practices. The third speaker was Dr Simon Miti, Permanent Secretary from the Ministry of National Development Planning in Zambia. Dr Miti explained that a recently conducted demographic study in Zambia was a real eye-opener. It revealed that Zambia currently has the highest ever number of young people in its population: a clear ‘youth bulge’. This realisation led the government to think about how best to realise the demographic dividend through investing in young people’s health, education, rights and employment. Last year the Government of Zambia revised the national youth policy to improve participation of young people, including in the areas of adolescent sexual and reproductive health. The new National Ministry of National Development Planning was also created to help deliver integrated decision-making and implementation across different policy areas affecting young people. Tewodros Melesse, Director General of IPPF, took the floor with optimism, seeing the Addis Declaration as a sign of progress and emphasising that it requires governments to implement the ICPD Programme of Action at national and regional levels. He urged governments to ensure that teachers and the police, the judiciary, private sector and Ministry of Finance all understand the importance of protective legislation and implementation of the Addis Declaration. He called on donors to be partners for implementation, and on Parliamentarians and the media to hold governments to account. Mr Melesse described IPPF’s contribution as a locally owned, globally connected Federation, working for sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment in over 170 countries. IPPF provides millions of services to young people and delivers comprehensive sexuality education both in and out of school. IPPF believes in empowering young people, and alongside supporting six regional youth networks, IPPF’s governance structure requires that 20% of Board members, at both regional and global levels, are under 25 years old. Noting that about one in five of the young people in the world today live in Africa, Mr Melesse highlighted the potential of the demographic dividend, urging governments to invest in young people’s health, rights and education, including comprehensive sexuality education. He warned that countries with high youth unemployment and poverty could face social instability and urged governments to support youth leadership. Questions from the floor focussed on comprehensive sexuality education, youth leadership and the role of the media, including new media, in providing accurate, evidence-based information for young people about health and rights. The panel concurred on the importance of these issues. The event ended with agreement that the Addis Declaration contained important promises to the young people of Africa and that while progress was being made more needed to be done to turn words into actions on the ground, and to hold governments to account for implementation.

Young woman in Rwanda
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| 12 April 2016

Progress on realising the SRHR promise to African youth at CPD49

Today at the 49th meeting of the United Nations Commission on Population and Development in New York, IPPF’s Director General, Tewodros Melesse spoke to a full room as part of a side-event panel addressing the topic of young people in Africa. The side-event was chaired by South Africa’s Ambassador Kingsley Mamabolo who deftly steered the discussion. The first panellist was UNFPA’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Dr Jullita Onabanjo. She spoke about the importance of the Addis Ababa Declaration on Population and Development for the region. The Declaration was agreed in October 2013 as part of a series of regional reviews feeding into the overall review of progress on the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). The Declaration, agreed by African Governments, sets out a series of commitments to action, including on sexual and reproductive health, comprehensive sexuality education, data collection and governance: http://icpdbeyond2014.org/pages/view/6-africa Dr Onabanjo called for African governments to share their national experience and learning arising from efforts to implement the Addis Declaration. She looked forward to a platform for this exchange which would also support monitoring of progress on the Declaration and accountability. She recommended a structured and continuous dialogue to take stock and relate monitoring of the Declaration to broader monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals. The second speaker, Zane Dangor, Special Advisor to the Minister of Social Development, South Africa, started by sharing shocking stories of young women who had suffered or died because they lacked access to safe abortion services. He also told us how Eudy Simelane, a female footballer from South Africa’s national team, was raped and murdered because she was openly lesbian. Zane explained that the Addis Ababa Declaration provides guidance on what states need to do to prevent suffering and deaths like these. South Africa has enacted hate crimes legislation to protect people like Eudy based on domestic legislation, and international agreements, including the Addis Declaration. South Africa has also established an inter-ministerial committee on Population and Development matters to monitor implementation of local, regional and international agreements. Additionally, South Africa has worked to identify gaps in health systems in relation to provision of sexual and reproductive health and rights services that are free from stigmatization and discrimination. Zane described how particular paragraphs in the Addis Declaration provided guidance to South Africa, citing sections about revision of discriminatory laws and policies; ensuring legal systems comply with international human rights regulations and laws; promulgation and enforcement of laws to prevent and punish hate crimes and to protect all people from discrimination and violence; and operationalisation of the right to the highest attainable standard of health. Pointing out that sexual and reproductive health and rights can never be divorced from the pursuit of gender equality and equity, and the full empowerment of women, Zane stressed that the Addis Declaration builds on existing provisions of the African Union to recognise and promote women’s human rights and that it commits governments across Africa to harmonise national legislation with all the relevant international instruments on gender equality and women’s empowerment. Zane concluded with a reminder that the Addis Declaration recognises that we must not choose between rights and development, and that the one cannot be achieved without the other. He supported references to the outcome documents of the regional review conferences – such as the Addis Declaration – in the final resolutions of the Commission for Population and Development, pointing out that words in this context are windows to our consciousness, so we need to embody the spirit of leaving no one behind and ending violence based on discriminatory laws and practices. The third speaker was Dr Simon Miti, Permanent Secretary from the Ministry of National Development Planning in Zambia. Dr Miti explained that a recently conducted demographic study in Zambia was a real eye-opener. It revealed that Zambia currently has the highest ever number of young people in its population: a clear ‘youth bulge’. This realisation led the government to think about how best to realise the demographic dividend through investing in young people’s health, education, rights and employment. Last year the Government of Zambia revised the national youth policy to improve participation of young people, including in the areas of adolescent sexual and reproductive health. The new National Ministry of National Development Planning was also created to help deliver integrated decision-making and implementation across different policy areas affecting young people. Tewodros Melesse, Director General of IPPF, took the floor with optimism, seeing the Addis Declaration as a sign of progress and emphasising that it requires governments to implement the ICPD Programme of Action at national and regional levels. He urged governments to ensure that teachers and the police, the judiciary, private sector and Ministry of Finance all understand the importance of protective legislation and implementation of the Addis Declaration. He called on donors to be partners for implementation, and on Parliamentarians and the media to hold governments to account. Mr Melesse described IPPF’s contribution as a locally owned, globally connected Federation, working for sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment in over 170 countries. IPPF provides millions of services to young people and delivers comprehensive sexuality education both in and out of school. IPPF believes in empowering young people, and alongside supporting six regional youth networks, IPPF’s governance structure requires that 20% of Board members, at both regional and global levels, are under 25 years old. Noting that about one in five of the young people in the world today live in Africa, Mr Melesse highlighted the potential of the demographic dividend, urging governments to invest in young people’s health, rights and education, including comprehensive sexuality education. He warned that countries with high youth unemployment and poverty could face social instability and urged governments to support youth leadership. Questions from the floor focussed on comprehensive sexuality education, youth leadership and the role of the media, including new media, in providing accurate, evidence-based information for young people about health and rights. The panel concurred on the importance of these issues. The event ended with agreement that the Addis Declaration contained important promises to the young people of Africa and that while progress was being made more needed to be done to turn words into actions on the ground, and to hold governments to account for implementation.