It's a disparity that also robs planners and policy-makers of a vibrant community of voices who are informed, insightful and deeply rooted in the communities most affected by the virus. These are the key populations who account for 95% of new HIV infections in Asia-Pacific – young men who have sex with men, young transgender people, young people who inject drugs, and young people who sell sex. Equally, young people living with HIV continuously experience stigma and discrimination in many settings, particularly within their families and in schools.
In the lead-up to the recent Asia-Pacific Intergovernmental Meeting on HIV and AIDS (IGM) and during the event itself, UNESCO Bangkok and UN and community partners saw to it that youth would not be absent from this discussion, which will form one of the regional inputs into the upcoming post-2015 agenda.
The Youth Caucus held two days before the opening of the IGM brought together young people from, or working with, key populations in the Asia-Pacific region from 13 countries in the region. The caucus gave the young people the opportunity to collaborate on a joint statement that would then serve as an input in the IGM.
UNESCO Bangkok Director Gwang-Jo Kim opened the Youth Caucus, speaking of the importance of finally bringing the voice of youth into policy discussions in a region where more than 600,000 live with HIV.
"You and your peers need to be meaningfully engaged as strategic partners in national HIV responses," he told the caucus. "We need more engagement, and more examples of countries that are reflecting your issues, your needs and your desires in country-level planning, financing and programming."
A failure to include young people in the HIV & AIDS response means ignoring millions of people with the power to meaningfully impact policy and planning, said Thaw Zin Aye, regional coordinator with YouthLEAD. "Young people from our communities are not just statistics, we are the agents of change," she said.
"I also realize that there are many young people who cannot be here and who do not have the opportunity, like us, to engage with stakeholders and partners. We should take this into consideration to address these situation and provide more space and opportunity for young key populations to increase their capacity, so that they can speak up on behalf of their rights."
Youth LEAD's Jeffry Acaba said that youth participation in the IGM was critical "because that's going to be about our future, how we can access these services, having protective mechanisms so that we will be able to exercise our rights in our respective countries."
These forums also give youth the opportunity to hold governments to account, a realization that has inspired many of the young delegates at the IGM, Acaba said. "For some [youth delegates] it's hard to imagine, especially the first time, going to a regional meeting. But then when they go back to their countries they realize, our country actually committed to this, so we can demand it."
The Youth Caucus statement, "Young People from Key Populations In Asia and the Pacific Call: 'Do Not Leave Us Behind!'", demanded that governments at the IGM recognize and act on four issues: youth-friendly HIV and sexual and reproductive health services; comprehensive sexuality education; meaningful engagement of and investment in young key populations; and promoting a more enabling legal and policy environment. (Full statement)
The statement and the IGM itself will feed into the post-2015 discussion and other key development processes in the next five years, but as Lieu Anh Vu, network officer with Youth Voices Count noted, a view to the long term is crucial. He views events such as the Youth Caucus and IGM as an invaluable "training ground" for the future leaders of HIV and SRH advocacy in Asia-Pacific.
"It's important for any movement that you have new people who will advocate," he said, adding that both at the caucus and IGM he saw many capable young people find their footing as passionate and eloquent advocates for their communities.