UNICEF The United Nations Children's Fund

On 22 July, UNICEF, along with Katy Perry, released the #ShowYourLove video, made to help dispel the stigma and discrimination that too often surrounds HIV, especially for adolescents, and that is preventing access to HIV testing and treatment. Intended to celebrate life and love, the video imagines a world free of AIDS in which adolescents do not face inequality, exclusion, stigma or discrimination. This initiative also uses the #Zerodiscrimination hashtag, which is part of a campaign launched by UNAIDS earlier in 2014.

“I worked with UNICEF on this new Unconditionally video in support of the 35 million people living with HIV, especially the young people, who often suffer in silence,” said Katy Perry.

For this initiative, UNICEF collected images and short videos (15–20 seconds) that show what being young, loved, free and healthy means to adolescents (10–19 years) around the world. Submissions will be shared during the International AIDS Conference in Melbourne (20–25 July) via UNICEF’s social media channels: @UNICEF @unicef_aids.

Watch #ShowYourLove video

To realize the vision of an AIDS-free generation, the global community must not only ensure the efficacy of HIV-specific interventions but also tackle the broader development and socioeconomic factors that drive the epidemic, such as inequality, social exclusion and exposure to violence. This was the key message of the Global Partners Forum on Children and HIV and AIDS, which took place on the first day of the 20th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, Australia.

The forum—organized by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), with UNAIDS participation—brought together key leaders in government, donor agencies, the United Nations, civil society and research institutions to explore focused approaches for the protection, care and support of children affected by HIV from early childhood through adolescence.

It emerged that a holistic, multisectoral and integrated package of services that unites the health, education, HIV, early child development and welfare sectors is necessary to keep children and young people in the first two decades of their life safe from the virus. Also examined were the specific requirements and concerns of adolescents, who often do not have access to HIV services, particularly girls and key populations at higher risk.   

A call to action issued at the end of the forum charted the way forward to the integration of health and social service sector interventions and to achieving an AIDS-free generation. The main points included leveraging evidence and experiences, proposing innovative solutions to challenges and mobilizing action and equipping policy-makers to develop plans that embed protection, care and support in the HIV response.

The Global Partners Forum was established in 2003 to provide momentum towards fulfilling international commitments for children affected by HIV.

Adolescents aged 10–19 are among the people most neglected by the HIV response, yet AIDS is the second biggest contributor to adolescent death globally and the main contributor in sub-Saharan Africa. During a satellite session at the 20th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, Australia, adolescents and young people, high-level government officials, donors, researchers and youth service providers explored ambitious but effective ways of better protecting this key group.

At the 20 July session, called Ending the Epidemic in Adolescents, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé announced a joint UNAIDS/UNICEF initiative entitled All In. The initiative aims to ensure that adolescents infected and affected by HIV are not left behind. It is intended to become a global movement to close the prevention and treatment gap and will be concentrated in 25 countries that represent 90% of AIDS-related deaths and 85% of new infections among adolescents.

To ensure that the movement is built from the grass roots and shaped by the meaningful involvement of the focused group, Mr Sidibé asked adolescents and young people to engage and help shape the way forward for All In.

The satellite session provided an opportunity to exchange information and ideas, with presentations of the latest data on the epidemic among adolescents, which show that comprehensive knowledge about the virus, condom use, HIV testing and treatment coverage are still low in most countries. Young people living with and affected by HIV also shared their experiences and challenged assembled government and United Nations officials to do more for the AIDS response.

In addition, highlights of a Youth Action Plan, developed at this year’s youth preconference event held on 18 and 19 July, were discussed. The plan is designed to ensure that young people are at the centre of the global movement to step up AIDS advocacy, policy and treatment.

On 11 May 2014, many countries around the world celebrated Mother’s Day. In Geneva, Switzerland, UNAIDS, UNICEF and the Hotel InterContinental Genève marked the day with the opening of an inspiring exhibition of children’s art. The event was part of efforts to raise awareness and support to stop new HIV infections among children and ensure their mothers remain alive and well.

The exhibition, featuring unique drawings and paintings by young artists aged between 5 and 16 years living with or affected by HIV from Ukraine, provided an opportunity to highlight the urgent need to increase efforts to keep children free from HIV.

One of the children whose artwork was included in the exhibition was 16 year old Sofia Pinchuk. She is one of the adolescents under the care of a UNICEF-supported non-governmental organization called The Way Home, in Odesa. “The artwork is a reminder that the hopes and dreams of children and adolescents everywhere are the same,” said Sofia.

Sergej Kostin, Director of The Way Home said, "For this event, I asked some of the children and adolescents we care for in Odesa to create art reflecting what a home or family means to them.” In the captions to the pictures some of the children wrote that they dreamt of becoming footballers, teachers, writers, dancers or artists. But many simply dreamt of having a united family and a home.

Despite global progress and unprecedented investment in eliminating new HIV infections among children and reducing maternal deaths, much more needs to be done to ensure that the world reaches the 2015 goal of providing critical HIV services to 90% of pregnant women living with HIV. 

“Today more than 2 million adolescents in the world are living with HIV. But an AIDS-free generation is within reach.  We have the tools, we know what needs to be done,” said Marie Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. “As we celebrate all mothers in the world, let us commit to building a better world, one of sharing and solidarity. And let us start by giving a voice and a future to children.”

“HIV affects children and adolescents all over the world,” said Mahesh Mahalingam, UNAIDS Director of the Office of the Director of Programme. “We hope that this artwork will encourage you to take a closer look at the world of children and adolescents living with and affected by HIV—a poignant reminder of our shared responsibility to make sure they are not left behind.”

Jurgen Baumhoff, General Manager of the InterContinental Hotel Genève said, “We—the staff and guests of the InterContinental Hotel Genève—feel honored to be engaged in and to be able to support the HIV response. The courage and resilience of these young artists inspires us all to continue to support efforts to eliminate new HIV infections among children and keep mother’s alive.”

The event, part of the joint UNAIDS and the Hotel InterContinental Genève campaign ‘Where History is Made’, also provided an opportunity to launch two new videos—‘Celebrating Birthdays’ a UNAIDS video in support of millions of mothers and children living with or affected by HIV—and and also a reminder of the global campaign “Getting to Zero” for an AIDS-Free generation.

Proceeds from the event will go towards UNAIDS and UNICEF’s joint work in stopping new HIV infections among children and keeping their mothers alive.

Cricket players from around the world are once again showing their support to young people living with HIV as part of the global Think Wise partnership on HIV.

Throughout the International Cricket Council (ICC) 2014 World Twenty20 (WT20) tournament—which runs in Bangladesh until 6 April—cricketing stars from a variety of international teams are taking part in coaching sessions and site visits. They are meeting with young people living with and affected by HIV, raising awareness of the importance of accessing HIV information and services.

The Think Wise initiative is a long-running partnership between ICC, UNICEF and UNAIDS that uses the power of cricket to reach out to large numbers of people on HIV issues. The partnership, which emphasizes messages on HIV prevention and the need for the elimination of HIV-related stigma and discrimination, has been profiled throughout the 2014 WT20. Players and match officials have worn red ribbons in solidarity with people living with HIV and Think Wise messages are profiled in the stadiums.

As part of the Think Wise activities carried out in Bangladesh, players from the Australia, Bangladesh, West Indies and South Africa teams held special cricket coaching sessions and events for children and young people. As well as practical cricket instruction from the players, the young participants spent additional time with them discussing HIV and life skills issues. Young participant Pranto Sarkar, aged 11, underlined his excitement at having time with the cricketing stars to play with and learn from them. “I just can’t believe that I have played with them, for me it’s a dream come true,” he said.

A special site visit was arranged for members of the Bangladesh women’s international team to the Ashar Alo Society, an organization of people living with HIV. Players met children living with and affected by HIV, who shared their stories about the challenges they face.

Stressing the importance of partnership with the Bangladesh National AIDS Programme, the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the civil society partners that helped to facilitate events, trainings and site visits, the Chief of HIV at UNICEF Bangladesh, Dr Tajudeen Oyewale said, “The events in Bangladesh are a demonstration of the effective power of sport in reaching adolescents with HIV prevention information. The uniqueness of the training lies in the integration of HIV messages into cricket training drills, as well as the broad partnership between UNICEF, UNAIDS and ICC, and the national partners.”

Think Wise has inspired many leading cricketers to join efforts to promote HIV prevention and reduce HIV-related stigma and discrimination. For the 2014 WT20, Bangladesh international all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan championed Think Wise—speaking about HIV prevention and stigma at a number of public events, starring in a Think Wise public service announcement that was shown in cricket grounds throughout the tournament and taking part in the in-tournament Think Wise activities with his colleagues.

“I feel privileged to be a part of the Think Wise campaign. As a sportsperson I know how far-reaching an impact we can make in addressing key issues around HIV, especially in developing countries like Bangladesh,” said Mr Al Hasan.

Commenting on the importance of the involvement of sports stars in the profiling and dissemination of key HIV and health messages, UNAIDS Country Director for Bangladesh Leo Kenny said, "We are thankful to the WT20 partnership with ICC and UNICEF and its ambassadors like Shakib Al Hasan for using cricket as a vehicle for making HIV everybody's business.”

Scientific experts from 41 countries have gathered in Vancouver, Canada for a four-day meeting to examine the latest evidence regarding the prevention benefits of antiretroviral therapy. The meeting also focused on developing new targets to end the AIDS epidemic, including a commitment to bring HIV treatment to all people who are eligible.

Citing both the therapeutic and preventive benefits of antiretroviral treatment, participants emphasized that available evidence justifies a rapid implementation of the World Health Organization’s 2013 consolidated guidelines on the use of antiretroviral drugs for treating and preventing HIV infection —which markedly expands the number of people living with HIV who are eligible for antiretroviral therapy. 

Vancouver’s proactive scale-up and innovative service delivery of HIV testing and treatment was hailed as a reference of the cost-benefits of HIV treatment expansion. Its approach is now being emulated in countries and localities worldwide as a successful model in the AIDS response.

Participants stressed the importance of removing all forms of punitive legal and policy frameworks that deter people from seeking health services in order to leave no one behind. They emphasized that community leadership and engagement are still vital elements of long-term success. Grenada’s Minister of Health Clarice Modeste-Curwen led a call for renewed global solidarity to mobilize sufficient resources to finance rapid HIV treatment scale-up.

The meeting was co-convened by the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and UNAIDS, and included participation from UNAIDS cosponsors leading on HIV treatment including WHO and UNICEF.

Samir, a shy 15-year-old, has come a long way. Living in Uzbekistan and diagnosed as HIV-positive around a year ago he thought at the time his life was over. He felt hopeless and depressed. Now, however, he is looking forward to a brighter future thanks to his involvement as a peer-to-peer trainer in an innovative project spearheaded by UNAIDS and UNICEF in Tashkent.

During the most recent project workshop Samir joined 22 other adolescents living with HIV in the Uzbek capital. They were there to learn more about how to provide peer-to-peer support for other adolescents living the same experience in their home regions. 

The trainees learned more about HIV prevention, care and support services as well as the increasing availability of HIV treatment options and the related improvement in quality of life. Learning how to challenge stigma and discrimination, which are still very prevalent in Uzbek society was also on the agenda. Many people living with HIV still fear being rejected and so keep their status secret.

For Samir the programme has made all the difference and he is now much more confident and optimistic. “I’m proud of having two hands, two legs and a head and I’m grateful to be alive. The most important things are family, health and a job that you like,” said Samir who wants to work in a bank in the future.

The peer-to-peer educator initiative started two years ago and UNAIDS and UNICEF have already trained 37 young people and intend to have ongoing training for new HIV-positive adolescents as well as reinforcing the capacity of those already trained. According to UNAIDS Country Director for Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan Lev Zohrabyan, the programme is playing a crucial role. “This initiative provides an opportunity for adolescents diagnosed with HIV to not only effectively cope with their own status but to also become leaders in guiding other peers in effective integration into society and living a fulfilled life”.

For Robert Fuderich, UNICEF Representative in Uzbekistan, the programme provides a safe haven where young people whose lives have been impacted by HIV “have access to psycho-social support, medical and legal counseling and most importantly, to an environment free of stigma and discrimination.”

Although HIV prevalence in Uzbekistan is relatively low, with an estimated 0.1% of the adult population living with the virus, the country is in a region which continues to have the largest increase in newly registered HIV cases in the world.