Fast-tracking the AIDS response and setting ambitious targets are critical to ending the AIDS epidemic. This requires transforming the vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths into concrete milestones and endpoints.

New UNAIDS report shows that young people are leading the prevention revolution, with 15 of the most severely affected countries reporting a 25% drop in HIV prevalence among this key population. New global opinion poll shows that AIDS continues to be of major importance for the public around the world.

More than half of all sexually transmitted infections, other than HIV, (more than 180 million out of a global annual total of 340 million) occur among young people aged 15 to 24. Yet most young people still have no access to sexual and reproductive health programmes that provide the information, skills, services, commodities, and social support they need to prevent HIV. In fact, many laws and policies go as far as to exclude young people from accessing sexual health and HIV-related services, such as HIV testing and counselling, the provision of condoms, and age-appropriate sexuality and HIV prevention education.

The AIDS virus has been found in prisons in most countries of the world. This should be a source of the utmost concern -- not only for prisoners and prison staff, but for society in general.

In many prisons around the world there is a much higher prevalence of HIV than there is in society outside. There is usually also a much higher rate of certain other diseases, such as hepatitis B and C, syphilis and tuberculosis. Experience has shown that there is a lot that can be done to check the spread of HIV, but for that to occur, those responsible for the prison system must first recognize certain risk factors and forms of behaviour in prisons.

This paper discusses the precarious existence of refugees and why HIV/AIDS is such a critical factor to them (a lack of a safe blood supply, the emergence of prostitution in exchange for food and other essentials, and an insufficient supply of condoms and health care). The report also documents various facts and figures, and offers suggestions as to how issues regarding refugees and AIDS can be handled.

Young people (10 to 24 years) are estimated to account for up to 60% of all new HIV infections worldwide. Many young people can be reached relatively easily through schools; no other institutional system can compete in terms of number of young people served. Prevention and health promotion programmes should extend to the whole school setting, including students, teachers and other school personnel, parents, the community around the school, as well as school systems. Such activities are a key component of national programmes to improve the health and development of children and adolescents.

In an emergency, the most immediate concern of relief workers is to save people at risk of imminent death from injury, starvation, exposure, or disease. In the past, this concern has largely dictated priorities for action. Since the last 1970’s and early 1980’s, a new threat has arisen – AIDS.

Young people are especially vulnerable to HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). They are also vulnerable as regards drug use (and not just injected drugs). Even if they are not engaging in risk behaviors today, they may soon be exposed to situations that put them at risk. Very often they cannot talk easily or at all about AIDS, or about the risk behaviors that can lead to HIV infection, at home or in their community. However, most of them do attend school at some point, and school is an entry point where these topics – often difficult to discuss elsewhere - can be addressed.