At The Crossroads: Accelerating Youth Access to HIV/AIDS Interventions

This 12-page pamphlet outlines discussions and outcomes of a global consultation entitled “The Evidence for Policies and Programmes to Achieve the Global Goals on HIV/AIDS and Young People.” The event, held in May 2004, sought to address these goals: the reduction of the prevalence of HIV among young people; the reduction of young people’s vulnerability to HIV; and increased access for young people to information, interventions and services..

The pamphlet indicates that of over the 1 billion young people worldwide, 10 million are currently living with HIV/AIDS. It further asserts that young people are at the centre of the epidemic in terms of "transmission, vulnerability, impact, and potential for change." The pamphlet maintains that young people have a right to understand the implications of HIV/AIDs and should have access to youth-friendly information, skills and services for the prevention, treatment and care.

In the pamphlet are suggested steps for action. One of the first priorities described is to scale up the speed of the response in each region, country, and community. The pamphlet suggests that young people must not only be the beneficiaries of interventions but are a key resource in
their design and implementation. Based on prior research, the pamphlet states that "substantial evidence exists that prevention interventions targeting young people could significantly help curtail the AIDS epidemic."

The United Nations organised the May 2004 event with support of the UNAIDS Inter-Agency Task Team on Young People (IATT/YP), the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and a range of other partners.