UNICEF at ICASA 2023
The 22nd International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) is taking place in Harare, Zimbabwe on 4-9 December, 2023. Download UNICEF's Roadmap below to find conference sessions related to children, adolescents and pregnant women.
Please also refer to the roadmap from Y+ Global for an overview of all youth-focused or youth-led sessions and save-the-dates for satellite sessions convened by UNICEF and partners.
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.
2023 Global and Regional Snapshots on HIV and AIDS: Progress and priorities for children, adolescents and pregnant women
UNICEF's annual global and regional epidemiological and response snapshots of Eastern and Southern Africa, West and Central Africa, and the Middle East and North Africa, based on the UNAIDS 2023 HIV estimates.
The snapshots describe where we are in terms of vertical transmission, the treatment gap, and the impact on adolescents.
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.
Getting back on track to ending AIDS in Children
In this viewpoint Getting back on track to ending AIDS in Children: It could just be easier than you think, published in the Journal of the International AIDS Society on World Children's Day, 20 November 2023, UNICEF reviews the global inequities faced by children and adolescents living with HIV and highlights three strategies to end AIDS in children by 2030.
Story from ESARO: Young HIV advocates stand up to fake news and stigma
This article from the UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office highlights the efforts of young advocates addressing stigma and misinformation about HIV.
The Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) region is home to more than 60 per cent of young people worldwide living with HIV. Stigma is a major challenge for young people, hindering their ability access HIV services and continue treatment as needed. 2gether 4 SRHR, in partnership with Sida, aims to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health rights across ESA.
The story features Ruele, a young advocate working with Y+ Kenya. He uses social media and advocacy to combat fake news about HIV and support young people to take medications without stigma by sharing his own experiences.
Young HIV advocates stand up to fake news and stigma
Too many people feel shame taking ART, especially young men. Ruele takes his ART in public to help normalise the idea of taking medication
By Fatima Shahryar