Synthesis Report: Identifying Drivers and Mitigators of Adolescent HIV and Sexual and Reproductive Health Risk
This synthesis report reflects a comprehensive review of the body of research undertaken through the Evidence-to-Action partnership.
Translating evidence into practice
With support from the Joint UN 2gether 4SRHR programme, a research partnership with the University of Oxford and University of Cape Town was established with the aim to improve HIV, SRH, and the overall well-being of adolescents by providing sustainable and scalable services. The partnership, which was ongoing from 2018 to 2023, investigated drivers of HIV and SRH risk in adolescents, and was committed to generating and using the latest evidence to propose practical solutions, shape programmes and guide decision-making for adolescents.
The results of the partnership are being used in integrating evidence into programming for adolescents throughout the region. They are summarized in a synthesis report, along with the six evidence-to-action briefs featured here.
Leveraging the Learning from HIV Programming for Pregnant and Parenting Adolescent Girls
This brief, the first in UNICEF's new Leveraging the Learning series, sets out to leverage the learnings from holistic, integrated, multisectoral, and age- and gender-responsive approaches to respond to and reduce early and adolescent pregnancy, support young mothers, and improve health and well-being outcomes for adolescent girls and their children.
Highlighting promising practices for pregnant adolescents living with HIV, the report is relevant for efforts to support all pregnant adolescent girls, regardless of their HIV status.
ALL IN to #EndAdolescentAIDS
ALL In to #EndAdolescentAIDS
Around the world, an estimated 2.1 million adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 years were living with HIV in 2016. Some 260,000 older adolescents (aged 15–19 years) were newly infected with HIV in 2016, or nearly a new infection every two minutes. Nearly three out of four new infections occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. And adolescent girls continue to be disproportionately affected. Globally, nearly two thirds (65 per cent) of new HIV infections among adolescents aged 15–19 years were among girls.
Progress in preventing new infections among adolescents remains unacceptably slow, with new infections declining by only 14 per cent since 2010. Equally concerning, between 2000 and 2015, annual AIDS-related deaths declined for all age groups except adolescents (aged 10–19 years).
Demographic realities further undermine recent hopeful trends. In sub-Saharan Africa, the region most affected by HIV, the youth population has begun to explode in size and will continue to do so, with projections indicating that the number of people younger than 20 will double in 2030. That means redoubled efforts will be necessary to prevent an increase in new HIV infections among adolescents.
The ALL IN agenda was introduced to drive social change for better results in adolescents, to improve strategic prioritization and programming for adolescents, and to foster innovation and advocacy to ensure that countries build stronger, more sustainable systems; engage adolescents in the response and provide quality health care. It is a Fast-Track response for adolescents—linked to the Three Frees initiative ('Start Free', 'Stay Free', 'AIDS Free') to accelerate service delivery towards attaining both the 90–90–90 and adolescent specific targets.
All In in ESA: Catalysing the HIV Response for Adolescents
Building on the collaborative effort that resulted in tremendous progress in scaling up lifesaving anti-retroviral treatment and preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Eastern and Southern Africa region (ESAR), UNAIDS and UNICEF launched a campaign titled All In to End Adolescent AIDS (All In) in 2015 in Nairobi, Kenya.
This report highlights how All In mobilized partners, engaged adolescents and young people and influenced policies and programmes in the 14 high-burden HIV countries in ESAR. The report documents the progress made in a few short years on adolescent HIV, and offers suggestions and recommendations on how to strengthen strategic information, apply evidence-based programming and mobilize resources for adolescents in the HIV response.
All In to End the Adolescent AIDS Epidemic: A Progress Report
The purpose of the report is to showcase the significant contributions of many partners to research, innovations, community mobilization, programmes and policy actions aimed at ending the AIDS epidemic in adolescents in support of the ALL IN! agenda.
Ending the AIDS Epidemic for Adolescents, with Adolescents
A practical guide to meaningfully engage adolescents in the AIDS response.
All IN to #EndAdolescentAIDS in the Philippines (Jun 2016)
On June 29, 2016, the Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on Children and HIV and AIDS had a webinar on the Philippines's experience with the All In initiative to end adolescent aids. The presentations can be found below.
Presented on June 29, 2016
All IN to #EndAdolescentAIDS in Swaziland (Apr 2015)
On April 24, 2015, the Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on Children and HIV and AIDS had a webinar on Swaziland's experience with the All In initiative to end adolescent aids. The presentations can be found below.
Presented on April 24, 2015