The 2021 United Nations Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS: Ending Inequalities and Getting on Track to End AIDS by 2030 reaffirmed the importance of leadership by young people in the HIV response.
The Global Network of Young People Living with HIV (Y+ Global) and the PACT are two innovative networks led by young people that have consistently proved the innovation and resourcefulness of young people in the HIV response. With support from UNAIDS, they are currently rolling out the #UPROOT Scorecard 2.0, a monitoring tool led by young people, in seven countries: Burundi, Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, Uganda, Viet Nam and Zimbabwe.
This is the second phase of monitoring work led by young people, which started in 2017 with the #UPROOT Agenda. The scorecard process engages young people, bringing them together to assess how their country's HIV response is working for them and if they are meeting the commitments on young people that are required to reach the 2025 HIV targets and achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.
Tinashe Grateful Rufurwadzo, the Director of Programmes, Management and Governance at Y+ Global, has been working closely with UNAIDS on the roll-out. "Equity, inclusion and solidarity are core principles in ensuring that we end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. The #Uproot Scorecards 2.0 will continue to strengthen youth-led monitoring at the country level, further harvesting evidence for advocacy and holding our governments accountable. There is a continued need to improve the quality of care that young people living with and affected by HIV in our diversity receive and to ensure that we are all leading happy, healthy and fulfilling lives. #UPROOT Scorecard 2.0 is a platform to raise our voices and secure our future!" he said.
Ekanem Itoro, Chair of the PACT, reiterated the need for data on young people. "It is extremely crucial in the global HIV response to strengthen adolescent and youth engagement using real-time data systems and interpersonal platforms in order to positively influence knowledge, attitudes and social and behaviour change, as well as to enhance social accountability of service providers and decision-makers towards improving the quality of life of young people living with HIV and other sexual minorities."
Young people make up 16% of the world's population but accounted for 27% of new HIV infections in 2020. Despite the disproportionate HIV burden on young people, they continue to face age-based discrimination and exclusion from sexual and reproductive health and rights, harm reduction and HIV services. Through the completion of the scorecards, the PACT and Y+ Global aim to generate accurate qualitative data for national and grass-roots organizations led by young people to hold their governments and service providers accountable for commitments made on the health and well-being of young people. This will help catalyse advocacy on identified national priorities to achieve the targets set out in the Political Declaration on AIDS and the Global AIDS Strategy 2021-2026: End Inequalities, End AIDS.
"Leadership by young people has been recognized as key to achieving the global targets that have been set, and the generation of that data will be central to scaling up the already pivotal work of networks of young people around the world," said Suki Beavers, Director of the UNAIDS Department for Gender Equality, Human Rights and Community Engagement.
UNAIDS will continue to partner with organizations led by young people to promote youth leadership in the HIV response.
