The 50th UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) thematic segment topic was “Positive learning: harnessing the power of education to end HIV-related stigma and discrimination, empower young people and provide a comprehensive HIV response” and took place on 24 June 2022.
The thematic segment will provide an opportunity for the PCB to discuss the need for national programs that holistically address the needs of young people in all their diversity, especially young women, young key populations and young people living with HIV. It will highlight the role of the education sector as an entry point for promoting comprehensive sexuality education––including HIV knowledge and awareness, prevention, testing and treatment, and ending stigma and discrimination. It will also emphasize the importance of linkages to youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services and social protection services.
The thematic segment will provide an occasion for the PCB to hear from young activists––including young women, young people living with HIV, and young key populations––and will feature perspectives from teachers, Ministry of education officials, and civil society leaders. It will highlight testimonies from young women, young people living with HIV, and young key populations about their experiences, underscoring the difficult reality that, for many, the experience of stigma and discrimination in school settings remains widespread.
The thematic day will also be an opportunity to highlight examples of best practices for creating an inclusive and health-promoting learning environment for young people in all their diversity through examples of successful programs and policies for in and out-of-school contexts. In particular, it will spotlight examples of the roles that digital media, radio, TV, and film can play to complement a high-quality education on HIV prevention, testing, and treatment and to end stigma and discrimination among young people.
To inform the session, UNAIDS is seeking case studies of where successful programs and policies to end HIV-related stigma, violence, and discrimination in education settings have been implemented, where multi-sectoral holistic approaches have been implemented to meet the needs of learners living with and impacted by HIV and where digital, broadcast and print media have been harnessed to promote safe, inclusive and healthy learning environments.