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Despite substantial declines in new HIV infections globally, the HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to disproportionately impact adolescent girls and young women in many countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2022, there were 3,100 new weekly infections among adolescent girls and young women aged 15-24 years.  In sub-Saharan Africa, adolescent girls and young women accounted for more than 77% of new infections among people aged 15-24 years in 2022.

That’s why Education Plus Initiative co-hosted with the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg a high-level side event on the margins of the 68^th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) to bring attention to the cost of inaction, calling for more consistent investment in education, health and economic rights of adolescent girls and young women in Africa. The CSW, which runs from 11- 22 March 2024, is the United Nations largest annual gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment, with this year’s priority theme, Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.

Speakers included four ministers from Luxembourg, Benin, Sierra Leone, and Uganda, senior government officials from Cameroon and South Africa, and heads of UN agencies who co-lead Education Plus, ATHENA network. Hannah Dolly Kargbo, a young activist from Freetown, Sierra Leone, and founder of the Girls Advocacy Development Network (GADNET), pre-recorded a video that showed her work with young people to advance rights.

The event, Education Plus investment cases for transformative results: leveraging girls completion of secondary education for gender equality and HIV prevention mobilized government, partners and key stakeholders towards accelerated actions and translate commitments to action for gender equality and HIV prevention in Africa.

The costs of inaction on the rates of HIV in adolescent girls and young women remain significant, not only counted in terms of the harmful impacts on girls’ lives but in how they undermine prospects for poverty eradication and the well-being and resilience of families, communities, societies and national economies.  For instance, the lack of educational and economic opportunities that result in women’s diminished labour force participation is estimated to cost the African region US$60 billion in economic losses every year. And yet Africa could gain US$500 billion per year through multi-sectoral investments in adolescents and youth, especially girls, by capitalizing on demographic windows of opportunity.

Education Plus calls for investment in the education and empowerment of adolescent girls and young women, and 15 champion countries are already committed to using education as a means to reduce high HIV rates.  Investments that guarantee education for all young people, violence-free school environments, provision of stigma-free health services, comprehensive sexuality education, access to sexual reproductive health and rights services and economic autonomy and empowerment are key to ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. When adolescent girls and young women complete secondary school, their risk of getting HIV is reduced significantly.

GENEVA, 27 February 2024—Zero Discrimination Day was established by UNAIDS ten years ago to advance equality and fairness for everyone regardless of gender, age, sexuality, ethnicity or HIV status. However, progress is in peril.

Attacks on the rights of women and girls, of LGBTQ+ people, and of other marginalized communities are on the rise. And when laws, policies, practices or norms enshrine punishment, discrimination or stigma for people because they are women, or are LGBTQ+, or are migrants, or sex workers, or use drugs, the results lead to failing public health as these communities are pushed away from vital health and social services.

“The attacks on rights are a threat to freedom and democracy and are harmful to health. Stigma and discrimination obstruct HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care, and hold back progress towards ending AIDS by 2030,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “It is only by protecting everyone’s rights that we can protect everyone’s health.”

There has been progress. At the start of the AIDS pandemic 40 years ago, two thirds of countries in the world criminalized LGBTQ+ people, today two-thirds of countries do not.

38 countries around the world have pledged to end HIV-related stigma and discrimination and today 50 million more girls are in school than in 2015.

To continue this progress UNAIDS urges support for women’s movements and movements for the rights of LGBTQ+ people, for racial justice, for economic justice, for climate justice, and for peace. As communities across the world stand up for rights, the United Nations is not only on their side but by their side.

On this Zero Discrimination Day (1 March), and across the whole month of March, events and activities will remind the world of this vital lesson and call to action: by protecting everyone’s rights, we can protect everyone’s health.

“Through upholding rights for all, we will be able to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, and to secure a safer, fairer, kinder, and happier world – for everyone,” added Ms Byanyima.

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Two years of war in Ukraine have resulted in significant humanitarian consequences. Forty percent of the current population of Ukraine,14.6 million people, are in need of humanitarian assistance, 6.4 million refugees have fled the country, and more than 3 million people are internally displaced. People living with and affected by HIV continue to be vulnerable to the effects of the war, even as HIV services have been restored and are functional in most parts of the country.

Russian strikes have continued to wreak havoc on Ukrainian cities, causing death and destruction, impacting access to water, electricity, heating, and health services for millions of civilians.

In addition, there have been 1,570 attacks on health facilities and 630 health facilities damaged.

According to the latest data from The Ukrainian Public Health Center, prior to the war, Ukraine had made significant progress in reducing HIV incidence (-47%) and AIDS-related mortality (-81%) since 2010. Despite the initial disruption to the national AIDS response at the onset of the war, the national AIDS program has gradually resumed routine operations.

As of the end of 2023, the number of patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) was only slightly below the pre-war figure, standing at 118,348 (130,724 as of February 2022). Additionally, approximately seven thousand patients are known to receive ART abroad. In the last two years, the number of patients on opioid agonist therapy (OAT) increased by 38%, reaching 27,511 people. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) more than doubled, reaching 12,354 people.

However, in eastern and southern occupied territories data is incomplete or not available. This is true of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson regions, AR Crimea, and the city of Sevastopol. The same occurred in 2023.  Despite these challenges, the surveillance system in the government-controlled areas remains operational, ensuring the completeness and quality of data on HIV prevention, testing and treatment services.

In addition, 9.6 million people in Ukraine are estimated to be at risk of or living with a mental health condition, and 3.9 million people are estimated to suffer from moderate to severe symptoms. And there has been an increase in gender-based violence.

Ukraine remains committed to the HIV response through a strong coalition of government, civil society, international organizations, and donors, first and foremost The United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. This collaboration has secured vital supplies of antiretroviral therapy (ARV), tuberculosis medicines, and opioid agonist therapy (OAT), ensuring uninterrupted HIV treatment and services.

UNAIDS Secretariat, Co-sponsors and UN agencies have joined forces to provide a unified response, ensuring that vulnerable populations, including those on the frontline and in the most severely affected areas, receive comprehensive support. This collaborative effort aims to bridge gaps and address the unique challenges faced by women, people living with HIV and key populations, including the delivery of crucial humanitarian aid and HIV services.

The past two years have been very challenging. Even though the country has managed to maintain HIV services, the unpredictability of what lies ahead has many fearing the worst. Support is needed to ensure sustainability of the AIDS response and to protect key populations affected by the enduring hardships of war.

For more information and more in-depth analysis, read the Situation Report (February 2024)

Countries from across the world who have taken practical steps forward towards eliminating discrimination are showing what is possible, UNAIDS has said.

The countries are members of the Global Partnership for Action to Eliminate all Forms of HIV-Related Stigma and Discrimination, which have prioritized and pledged to accelerate the removal of stigmatizing and discriminatory practices, policies and laws across six settings: community, health, justice, education, workplace, and emergency/humanitarian. Recent progress that was made by members of the Global Partnership included:

• In the Central African Republic, the law on the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS was revised with a focus on social protection, opening new opportunities for people living with HIV to access enhanced support.
• In Argentina, the National Law for Comprehensive Response to HIV, STIs and Tuberculosis committed that care and treatment be provided without discrimination. 
• In Kazakhstan, the government increased domestic funding to sustain a successful community-led programme for shelter and support for women living with HIV who had been subjected to violence.
• In Ghana, a strong partnership between the government and the community enabled mothers living with HIV and caregivers of HIV-exposed infants and children to  benefit from targeted interventions that foster their and their children’s well-being, leading to improved adherence to treatment and linkage to care.
• In Thailand, a national Code of Conduct on HIV prevention and management in the workplace was adopted, and both government and the private sector committed to review HIV policies in line with the new Code of Conduct.
• In Iran, the Ministry of Health issued a bylaw to tackle the stigma and discrimination faced by people living with and affected by HIV. As a result, a protocol on elimination of stigma and discrimination in health care settings was developed to advance access to HIV services without discrimination, including strengthening the referral system.

“The practical steps forward which have been taken by members of the Global Partnership provide hope through action,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima. “They show what is possible. They show how it is through protecting the rights of every person that we can protect the health of every person. Progress on rights can power progress towards the end of AIDS.”

38 countries have joined the Global Partnership for Action to Eliminate all Forms of HIV-Related Stigma and Discrimination, and more have expressed interest in joining.  More information on the Global Partnership can be found here: https://www.unaids.org/en/topic/global-partnership-discrimination

On March 1st the world will mark the tenth anniversary of Zero Discrimination Day. More information on Zero Discrimination Day can be found here: https://www.unaids.org/en/2024-zero-discrimination-day

BRUSSELS, 1 December 2023—On World AIDS Day, UNAIDS, Spain, as President of the Council of the European Union, and other partners called for the elimination of all HIV-related stigma and discrimination as a necessary step towards ending the AIDS pandemic as a global public health threat by 2030.

Speaking at the event held at the European Parliament in Brussels, Spain’s Minister of Health, Mónica García, re-affirmed Spain’s commitment to achieve zero HIV-related stigma and discrimination.

“We hope that this leadership of Spain for the elimination of all forms of stigma and discrimination associated with HIV will be maintained over the next 7 years to meet our goals by 2030,” said Ms Garcia.

The elimination of HIV-related stigma and discrimination has been a political priority of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union since July 2023. This was reflected in a high-level meeting on "HIV and Human Rights: Political Action to Achieve Zero Stigma" hosted by the Spanish Ministry of Health in September 2023 in Seville. At the event, Spain took the important step to officially join the Global Partnership for action to eliminate all forms of HIV-related stigma and discrimination, becoming the second EU country to join after Luxembourg.

At the event in Brussels, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Christine Stegling, thanked Spain for its leadership globally and in the European Union and said the world needed to act urgently to eliminate HIV-related stigma and discrimination.

“We’ve made impressive progress against HIV, but we have much work left to do,” said Ms Stegling, “Unless we succeed in ending AIDS-related stigma and discrimination, we will not be able to reach everyone in need. Stigma and discrimination against people most affected by HIV are the biggest barriers to accessing lifesaving HIV prevention and care. We look forward to working with European Union Member States, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, to take this agenda forward." 

As Spain steps down from its Presidency of the Council of the European Union at the end of December 2023 and as Belgium assumes the role, Ms. Stegling also expressed hope that Belgium will follow in Spain’s footsteps and continue to lead on this critical issue. She called on the whole of the European Union to join in global efforts to abolish AIDS-related stigma and discrimination to reach people who are currently being left behind in the response.

Around the world, some 9.2 million people living with HIV still do not have access to life-saving medicines. Every minute, a life is lost to AIDS. In 2022, 1.3 million people became newly infected with HIV. Many people most affected by HIV are being left behind, including adolescent girls and young women, gay men and men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, sex workers and migrants. These are the people who must be reached for AIDS to be ended as a public health threat by 2030.

Removing AIDS-related stigma, discrimination and criminalization will make it more possible to reach those currently being left behind. Political leadership in the European Union is key to achieving that goal.

Also critical for removing AIDS-related stigma and discrimination is community leadership. Ms. Stegling highlighted UNAIDS’ 2023 World AIDS Day report “Let Communities Lead” citing the need for governments and donors to fully empower and fund community leadership in the response to HIV.

Other speakers at the event included: Andrea Ammon, Director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control; Peter Sands, the Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; Hans Kluge, the World Health Organization's Regional Director for Europe and Kathleen van Brempt, MEP of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament.  

The World AIDS Day event was co-hosted and moderated by Marc Angel, MEP from Luxembourg and vice-president of the European Parliament.  He said, “Representing my country, I extend my deepest appreciation to Spain for joining the Global Partnership for action to eliminate all forms of HIV-related stigma and discrimination. As a UNAIDS Red Ribbon Leader for the “10-10-10" targets on societal enablers, I look forward to working closely with Spain, my own country, Luxembourg and, ideally, other EU Member States to end all forms of HIV-related stigma and discrimination in the EU, across Europe and beyond.”

The 10-10-10 targets are:

• Less than 10% of countries have punitive legal and policy environments that deny access to justice
• Less than 10% of people living with HIV and key populations experience stigma and discrimination
• Less than 10% of women, girls, people living with HIV and key populations experience gender inequality and violence.

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

NEW YORK/GENEVA, 19 September 2023—UNAIDS has named the First Lady of Sierra Leone, Fatima Maada Bio, as a UNAIDS champion for the empowerment and engagement of adolescent girls and young women in Sierra Leone. UNAIDS Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima, confirmed the appointment during a meeting with Mrs Maada Bio and her husband President Julius Maada Bio at the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly taking place in New York.

“I am delighted to welcome Her Excellency Mrs Fatima Maada Bio to the UNAIDS family as a champion for adolescent girls and young women,” said Ms Byanyima. “The First Lady is a strong advocate for the empowerment of women and girls. I look forward to continuing to work together to end gender inequalities that drive HIV including sexual and gender-based violence, and to ensuring that our girls and young women have all the information and knowledge they need to lead healthy lives.”

Mrs Maada Bio is a leading advocate for the Hands Off Our Girls Campaign, a movement launched by President Maada Bio in December 2018 to ban early child marriage and end sexual violence against women and girls. In 2022, she spearheaded the adoption of the first ever World Day for the Prevention of, and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Violence, which is commemorated annually on 18 November.

Mrs Maada Bio is also a champion of Education Plus, an initiative launched by UNAIDS, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNFPA and UN Women to prevent HIV infections through free universal, quality secondary education for all girls and boys in Africa, reinforced through comprehensive empowerment programmes.

“My hope is for a future where all women have equal rights,” said Mrs Maada Bio. “Where women and men can sit at the same table and make decisions together, where women are given the space to lead. That is my hope because then we will know that real equality has arrived for us all.” 

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Brazil has joined the 34 countries that are part of the Global Partnership to take action to eliminate all forms of HIV-related stigma and discrimination. The country's entry into this group of nations was announced at a celebratory event of the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia, held in Brasilia, Brazil’s capital and organized in partnership by UNAIDS, ILO, and the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship.

The Global Partnership is an initiative launched through a call for action from the NGO Delegation to the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) in 2018 to remove HIV related stigma in six settings: healthcare, justice, community, workplace, educationa and humanitarian.  It is co-convened by UNAIDS, UN Women, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Global Network of People Living with HIV, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. It is also supported by a technical working group composed of 10 United Nations agencies and 24 partners and civil society organizations.

With Brazil, now 35 countries have formally joined the Global Partnership, committing to act against HIV-related stigma and discrimination in the contexts of healthcare services, educational settings, workplaces, justice systems, domestic and community environments, emergency systems, and humanitarian crises.

According to Luisa Cabal, the Regional Director of UNAIDS in Latin America, Brazil's entry into the Global Partnership is a significant step in the collective response against HIV-related stigma and discrimination in Latin America and the world. "By joining this initiative, Brazil reaffirms its commitment to defending human rights, promoting social inclusion, and eliminating barriers to access prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing response to HIV," she explains.

By joining the Global Partnership, Brazil will have access to a platform that will allow the country to share experiences and best practices with the other participating countries, creating opportunities for collective learning, strengthening the joint response to HIV-related stigma and discrimination.

"It is important to highlight that by joining the Global Partnership, Brazil will also reinforce its leadership role in the region and global diplomacy for health and human rights, demonstrating its commitment to equity and social justice," emphasizes Luisa Cabal.

It is indeed a precedent for the GP that commitment to join the Global Partnership has been witnessed by two Ministers.

Minister of Human Rights and Citizenship Silvio Almeida reiterated his unrestricted support and commitment to public policies promoting and protecting the rights of LGBTQIA+ people. ”For those who suffer violence, and are killed simply for being who they are, these people will be protected in a public commitment, and I renew this commitment not only as Silvio Almeida, but as Minister of State for Human Rights of Brazil” emphasized H.E.

Representing the Ministry of Health Helvécio Miranda, Secretary of Specialized Health Care, similarly shared the Ministry's commitment to embrace the agenda of LGBTQIA+ rights and ensure comprehensive healthcare access for all people emphasizing on a gender approach, and with a special focus on those at risk, with specific needs, or experiencing different forms of violence.

Vinícius Pinheiro, Director for Brazil at ILO, embraced the significance of the Global Partnership in promoting social justice and decent work with inclusion and opportunities for all people so that no one is left behind.

One year on, the war in Ukraine continues to inflict massive suffering and destruction. Since the start of the war on 24 February 2022, more than 13.5 million people have been internally displaced or forced to flee to neighboring countries as refugees, including people living with HIV and key populations.

Ukraine, the country with the second-largest AIDS epidemic in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region, has been hit hard by the war.

The country was making strong progress in the AIDS response by: 1) increasing the number of people living with HIV on life-saving medicine (more than 150 000 people are on treatment out of 240 000 living with HIV); 2) working hand in hand with community-based organisations and 3) reaching full state financing of innovative HIV prevention services among key populations.

The shock of the war pushed all stakeholders to protect those precious gains.  

The government of Ukraine and civil society partners have received enough anti-retroviral therapy (ARV), tuberculosis medicine, and opioid substitution therapy (OST) to provide uninterrupted treatment for everyone with the support of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), UNAIDS, and other partners.

Civil society has been the engine of the national HIV response along with the Ukrainian Public Health Centre before the war and throughout the year. They have delivered services, medicines, and humanitarian aid to those in need without fail despite bombings, attacks, lack of electricity and reduced access to the east and south of the country.

This effort needs our ongoing support and funding. We cannot let Ukraine’s HIV response fall back.

UN agencies and partners on the ground have been working closely with local authorities to reach and help people in need. More recently they have delivered humanitarian assistance to  hard hit territories in the country that have only now become accessible.

“Delivering essential aid and assistance relies on collaboration,” said Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director. “A coalition of government, civil society and international organisations has been and continues to be a cornerstone of the effective HIV response in Ukraine during the war. UNAIDS stands in solidarity with all the people and our partners working so hard on the frontlines.”    

A UNAIDS Emergency Fund has enabled partners across the country to sustain HIV care and support services, as well as providing direct humanitarian assistance and targeted support to the most vulnerable. This has meant, for example, creating dozens of shelters for internally displaced persons, including people who use drugs, LGBTIQ+ people, and other key populations linking HIV service providers with available humanitarian assistance programmes. The Fund has received support from the Red Cross Monaco, the United States of America and Germany.

With further funding from Germany, civil society organizations in Moldova, Poland, and other neighboring countries united their efforts to improve access to services for Ukrainian refugees living with HIV.

UNAIDS has issued an urgent call to the international community for additional funding for civil society organisations to keep providing essential HIV support services in Ukraine and in countries receiving refugees in need of HIV services.

UNAIDS will continue to support HIV prevention, testing, treatment, care and support for people across Ukraine affected by the war and people displaced by the conflict.

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Tanzania became the 13^th African country to join the Education Plus Initiative, committing to provide greater investments to ensure boys and girls complete secondary school. 

Education Plus is an initiative spearheaded by UNAIDS to accelerate action and investments in education to prevent HIV. Evidence shows that completing secondary education reduces the risk of HIV infection and early pregnancy and improves their livelihoods and prosperity for girls and young women. The education Plus initiative is centred on empowering adolescent girls and young women and achieving gender equality in sub-Saharan Africa.

On 30 November 2022, during the HIV week commemoration, the Office of the Prime Minister, led by the Minister of State for Policy, Coordination and Parliamentary Affairs, Mr George Simbachawene, alongside the Deputy Minister of Health Dr Godwin Mollel, launched the initiative in Lindi region, Tanzania. 

"Young people aged 15-24 years make up one of the largest groups of new infections, among all new infections every year, approximately 30% are among people aged 15–24. That means for every 10 new infections, three are from this age group,'" said Mr. Simbawachane 

The launch of Education Plus in Tanzania will accelerate the ongoing country's adolescent education, health and wellbeing agenda.  Tanzania has been particularly affected by HIV. In 2021 around 1.7 million people were living with HIV; 74% of new HIV infections among young people aged between 15 and 24 were among young women, showing the disproportionate impact HIV is having on young women and girls.

Minister Simbachawene said the country would increase primary education opportunities for adolescents and enable them to stay in school by removing all barriers to completion of primary and secondary school education. Through the initiative, Tanzania will strengthen efforts to bring HIV education, reproductive health, and life skills to adolescents inside and outside of school.

The initiative comes at a time when Tanzania has made good progress in adopting global treaties and agreements to address gaps in education and health rights and increase opportunities for girls and boys. Most commitments have been translated into national policies and strategies, as demonstrated by the government’s commitment to offering free basic and secondary education. Tanzania has also adopted policy decisions to implement a re-entry program for children who drop out and to include comprehensive sexuality education into the curriculum. The country has also amended the HIV and AIDS Act to lower the age of consent for HIV testing and allow HIV self-testing.

The minister also pledged to do more to eliminate gender-based and sexual violence by providing youth-friendly education, skills building, and enhancing referrals by connecting youth to health and community services.

However, key gaps remain, with national surveys showing increased rates of teenage pregnancy, school dropouts, and high levels of gender-based violence. Around 27% of young women aged between 15 and 19 years already have a child or are pregnant and 50% of ever-married women aged between 15 and 49 report experiencing physical, sexual, or emotional violence.

The total number of students enrolled in secondary education is still below 50%, and for those in school, there is a high dropout rate, and some do not complete their schooling. The country has a low completion rate in secondary schools at 11.3%, and dropout in secondary schools due to pregnancy was reported at 4% in 2020.

Despite increased political will and significant achievements, women's and girls' vulnerabilities remain very high. Adolescent girls and young women in Tanzania continue to shoulder the burdens of domestic work, gender inequality in education, and harmful norms. Many are entrenched in cycles of poverty and extreme vulnerabilities.

At the launch, the government committed to strengthening policies to facilitate the provision of education and essential skills to prepare and equip young people for employment and other economic opportunities.  

The launch was attended by key partners including Dr Leonard Maboko, the Executive Director for Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS) youth representative Pudensiana Mbwiliza; Permanent secretary office of the Prime Minister, Dr John Jingu and Hon Judith Nguli from Lindi Regional Commissioner’s office and Tanzania PEPFAR coordinator Jessica Greene;  representatives from  UNAIDS, UNESCO, International Labour Organisation (ILO), UNICEF and the World Health Organisation (WHO). 

The event brought together civil society organisations, young people’s networks, and representatives of people living with HIV and partners. Co-lead by five United Nations agencies working with governments, women’s and youth movements; the initiative is of even greater urgency as the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed millions of African girls out of school.

NEW YORK/GENEVA, 19 September 2022—At the Transforming Education Summit in New York it was announced that 12 African countries* have committed to Education Plus, a bold initiative to prevent HIV infections through free universal, quality secondary education for all girls and boys in Africa, reinforced through comprehensive empowerment programmes. 

Speaking on the Leaders Day of the Summit on behalf of the Education Plus movement, the Executive Director of UNAIDS, Winnie Byanyima said, “School saves lives. We are coming together to champion the right for a girl to be in a classroom and in a safe classroom. Keeping girls in school helps ensure their rights and prevents HIV. We know that if a girl completes secondary education, the risk of infection reduces by 50%. That's why we've teamed up with UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF and UN Women, with governments and with civil society, to champion the education and empowerment of adolescent girls in Africa to stop new HIV infections.” 

Through Education Plus, champion countries across Africa are bringing sectors together to fight inequalities by ensuring access to and completion of secondary school, protecting girls and young women from HIV infection, sexual violence, teenage pregnancies and early marriages, and creating opportunities for access to education, health, and jobs. 

Sierra Leone, an Education Plus champion, has been reforming its education system since 2018, enrolling an additional one million learners in four years. Speaking at the Summit President Julius Madda Bio said, “We have adopted a radical inclusion policy and have achieved gender parity in school enrollment. Girls can now be educated from primary through to university free of tuition fees, and pregnant girls can once again go to school. Education is not a luxury, it is a right. We must rally the international community behind the global initiatives being launched.”  

International partners shared their backing for the initiative. Franz Fayot, Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, Luxembourg said, “The risks of acquiring HIV and the challenges in accessing services in sub-Saharan Africa are very real and are compounded by stigma and discrimination, as well as legal and financial barriers. Financing to support education systems to deliver gender-transformative education is urgent. It will save lives and have a hugely positive impact on economies.” 

Joyce Ouma, a young leader from the Education Plus hub, shared why young women’s movements are backing the initiative: “Some of us are still denied sexual and reproductive health information and services and sexuality education because of our age and this has a devasting impact on our lives. As young women living with HIV, we face discrimination, stigma and violence perpetrated within school environments and cannot easily seek essential medical care. Transforming education means we face these gloomy statistics head on. I urge leaders to listen and act on our collective concerns for better systems.” 

UNAIDS latest report, In Danger, released in July this year showed that in sub-Saharan Africa 4 900 young women and girls (15-24 years old) acquired HIV every week in 2021. Once a person contracts HIV they require life-long treatment. In 2021 in sub-Saharan Africa, 22 000 adolescent girls and young women died of AIDS-related illnesses.  

Fostering investments in access to health, education and jobs gives results. Girls—and their communities and countries—reap multiple social and economic benefits from their completion of secondary school. An extra year of secondary school can increase women’s wages by 15-25%. Educating adolescent girls and young women in Africa could add US$ 316 billion or 10% to GDP in the period to 2025 if each country makes advances in gender parity in schooling. 

The United Nations Secretary-General recognized girls’ education and empowerment as crucial for development, "Girls’ education is among the most important steps to deliver peace, security, and sustainable development everywhere," said Antonio Guterres. 

*The 12 African Education Plus champion countries are Benin, Cameroon, Eswatini, Gabon, Gambia, Lesotho, Malawi, Senegal, Sierra-Leone, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia. 

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.