Young community leaders, United Nations representatives and advocates discussed how young people can make a difference in ensuring that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets on HIV and sexual and reproductive health and rights can be realized for all, including marginalized young people.
The youth-led event took place on 24 September on the sidelines of the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly, taking place in New York. It was co-convened by UNAIDS, the Link Up Consortium, Stop AIDS Now, the PACT, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, the Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS and the Civil Society Working Group on HIV.
According to the participants, the SDGs will need to include the voices of young people to set national priorities, develop and monitor strategies and indicators, and review processes at all levels for their successful implementation in order to reach the targets.
To ensure that no one is left behind, the participants also stressed the need to set up systems to gather comprehensive data about groups recognized as vulnerable to discrimination and exclusion, as well as other relevant groups.
The common message agreed by all panelists was that youth-led accountability is critical to ensure that governments make progress to achieve the end of the AIDS epidemic and universal access to sexual and reproductive health services.
“A human rights based approach is crucial for all of the SDGs. Part of this approach is to have youth, especially marginalized youth, meaningfully involved in implementation and monitoring. Without that, we cannot achieve this agenda.”
Lotte Djikstra, Dutch Youth Ambassador for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
"We must work with young people as key partners, rather than as targets. This means valuing young people's expertise, supporting skills development, employing young people, and providing dedicated space for young people on decision-making bodies."
Cedric, Executive Director, RNJ+, Burundi
“It is essential that we support and build the capacity of youth organisations to engage at country level with the SDGs to sustain political momentum and to achieve the end of the AIDS epidemic. This is how we can together address inequities in access to health, and advance sexual and reproductive health and rights.”
Mimi Melles, Youth Programme, UNAIDS
