The Global Network of People Living with HIV and The World AIDS Campaign have coordinated the development of a set of advocacy messages that speak specifically to the needs of young people living with HIV and how these needs must be recognised in the new UN General Assembly Special Session on AIDS Declaration that will be endorsed by UN member states, in June, 2011.

1. YPLHIV input into the UNGASS Process and High Level Meeting Outcome Declaration

3. The 2006 Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS contained 5 statements on children and young people but there was a clear failure to appreciate and respond to the unique needs of diverse groups of young people.

5. YPLHIV Have Your Say Survey: Young People living with HIV from over 55 countries had their say and input into the development of key messages around priorities in their lives. Here are some of the quotes from the survey:

6. YPLHIV Have Your Say Survey:Universal Access In Mexico there are public policies for access to inputs of care and prevention of HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections, however, when a young person seeking information or requesting input for prevention are not available in health services. There is treatment therapy, but I have to ride for it to the AIDS Centre 130 km every month. But actually, they don’t explain anything for me. Sometime the services are available but it is not easily accessible by youth. Several policy barriers also still become challenges in Indonesia i.e Law on Health which stated that SRH services only provided to marriage couple. How about youth? I do not seek help and I hide my status because of negative attitude of the public and the authorities

7. YPLHIV Have Your Say Survey:Rights There is little work in promoting Human Rights and from the non-binding documents that my country has signed. At the same time, there is lack of supervision and monitoring to do the advocacy work to improve the legal situation of young people who live with HIV/AIDS No legal or social services targeting YPLHIV, only the law for protection of the rights and duties of PLHIV Young people especially those living positive are prone to abuse and due to poverty are not able to have legal backing and the social set up is not friendly to young people

8. YPLHIV Have Your Say Survey: Leadership No, nobody takes care of us, we have our own association with 120 members, lesbians and gays, nobody Russian I am a member in PLHIV and Acting head of a non profit organization I belong to a mutual support group for those living with HIV and I hope to grow every day more I volunteer with one organisation where Iam in the youth wing and coordinator of projects related to HIV/AIDS but our work is limited because of lack of funds and lack of social services

9. YPLHIV NEED UNIVERSAL ACCESS UNIVERSAL ACCESS “My needs change as I grow. I need a health service that supports me as I move from childhood to adolescence into adulthood - services that also respond to the particular needs of young people most affected by HIV. However, Universal Access is not just about health services – every part of the government has a responsibility to make Universal Access a reality for me. For example, laws and policies requiring parental consent for testing, treatment and care work against Universal Access for all young people.”

10. YPLHIV NEED PROTECTION AND PROMOTION OF RIGHTS RIGHTS “Do away with laws and policies that criminalise HIV transmission. Make laws and policies that promote and protect my rights. Make it your responsibility to entrench my rights to confidentiality, health, happiness, education, sexual and reproductive fulfilment, and participation. I am not under any increased responsibility to disclose. Scrap the laws and policy that make it compulsory for me to disclose my status. I will choose to disclose to whom I want, when I want, how I want.”

11. YPLHIV NEED MEANINGFUL INVOLVEMENT IN THE RESPONSE AND IN THEIR COMMUNITIES MEANINGFUL INVOLVEMENT “Don’t assume that I want to make a career out of my status. I may want to be involved as an advocate, a volunteer, or a mentor. I may not want to disclose my status but I can still be passionate and active about the issues that affect me and others like me. I also need to be a meaningful part of the larger community – gain a qualification, get a job, enjoy life with my friends and family. Let me choose my own path and destiny.”

12. YPLHIV NEED OPPORTUNITIES TO DEVELOP AS LEADERS AND ADVOCATES LEADERSHIP “I want to be active in the response and have a space at your decision-making table. Flying me to a high-level meeting on the other side of the world for a meeting does not develop my leadership skills or result in any benefit for my life and my community. I need skills, qualifications and opportunities to become a leader and the opportunity to pass on my knowledge to others like me when I am an adult. Ask me why I want to get involved and what I hope to accomplish, and find me mentors. Don’t burn me out.”

13. YPLHIV NEED SPACES FOR SAFE DISCLOSURE “Three decades into the response, why is it that I still don’t feel safe to disclose my HIV status? Here’s what I need you to understand: I want to feel empowered to disclose my status not only for my own well-being but also for my peers. Providing a conducive environment for safe disclosure in my school and my community means that more young people will talk about HIV, more young people will test and more young people will get the support they need. “ SAFE DISCLOSURE

14. The UN High Level Meeting and Outcome Declaration We recognise the things we are asking for are important for all People Living with HIV We understand that the review process covers a wide range of important issues We believe that the review process needs to recognise the particular needs of YPLHIV

15. We are asking for the following commitments: We commit to comprehensive, prevention, treatment care and support services which caters to the specific needs of all children and young people living with HIV as they transition between paediatric care and support services into appropriate adolescent and youth friendly services. We acknowledge the need to create appropriate support systems for parents and care givers of HIV positive children that support the disclosure process for young people who contracted HIV at birth or in infancy. We are gravely concerned about the effects of laws and policies that criminalise HIV transmission, exposure, non-disclosure, buying and selling sex, drug use and same sex relations and commit to repealing all laws and policies which hinder efforts to achieve Universal Access. We further commit to promoting laws and policies which protect the rights of all people, in particular people living with HIV, men who have sex with men, transgender people, sex workers and their clients and people who use drugs. In so doing we will significantly reduce stigma and discrimination experienced by young people living with HIV and young people from other key affected populations and create an environment for safe disclosure and the full enjoyment of all rights. We are commit to creating meaningful leadership roles for young people and in particular YPLHIV in the HIV response. We must strive to nurture and develop the skills and experiences of emerging and new leaders. We commit to supporting and resourcing wider PLHIV networks to accumulate institutional memory for the future benefit of young people living with HIV and to support the transfer of relevant skills and knowledge that will sustain the leadership of the response.