by Mimi Melles, Program Manager, iYAN Project

It can often be hard to imagine a meeting where young people and leaders such as the Executive Director of the Global Fund, Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of UNICEF, Anthony Lake, and the South African government, Hendrietta Bogopane Zulu, Duputy Minister of Public Works, all in one room talking about youth leadership and accountability. Well, at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna—it’s not only possible, it happened!

by James Wagoner, President
 
For the first time in nearly a decade, HIV/AIDS policy is truly being driven by science and public health, rather than by ideology.  If the Obama administration’s new National HIV/AIDS Strategy is accompanied by an equal commitment of resources and political will, the United States has the opportunity to begin eliminating health disparities and to build a generational firewall against this epidemic.

The National HIV Strategy shines a spotlight on the central fact of the current epidemic-- that HIV disproportionately impacts those most affected by poverty, racism, homophobia and health care disparities.  While public health experts have worked to address the reality of health disparities for some time, the NHAS brings a long overdue shift in the political framework that underpins our country’s response to HIV and AIDS.  In addition to current prevention and treatment efforts, we also have a responsibility to address the socioeconomic, cultural, and demographic factors that contribute to the epidemic.

Education, prevention, and treatment will always be necessary.  But, without addressing the systemic and systematic causes that underlie the dramatically disparate rates of HIV and AIDS in America, these interventions will never be sufficient.

The 2010 International AIDS Conference, July 18-23, is almost here!  Check out the Vienna YouthForce website for more information about the conference and youth-specific activities.

What is the Vienna YouthForce?

The Vienna YouthForce is a global platform for international, regional and local youth organizations that focus on HIV and AIDS, as well as on youth sexual and reproductive health and rights, to work together to organize youth activities and advocacy campaigns prior to and during the International AIDS Conference.   The Vienna YouthForce organizing partners include ten youth organizations, including Advocates for Youth, Community Forum Austria, Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GYCA), International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA), the World AIDS Campaign, Youth Coalition on Sexual and Reproductive Rights, YouAct, Y-Peer, CHOICE for youth and sexuality and Youth R.I.S.E. 

This year, the Youth  Programme Working Group and the Vienna YouthForce are working closer than ever to act as a common body for young people at this year’s International AIDS Conference.  Activities implemented prior and during the conference include an advocacy campaign, a youth Pre-Conference, the Youth Pavilion, and media and communications.   To learn more, visit the Vienna YouthForce web site at: http://youthaids2010.tigweb.org/. 

by Mimi Melles, Program Manager, International Youth Activist Network 

Over a week ago, I visited Kampala, Uganda for a brief trip (four days to be exact) to attend the annual Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition meeting where members came together to discuss the challenges and actual solutions to increasing access to reproductive health supplies around the world.   This meeting was unique to any gathering I had attended in the past because it literally brings all stakeholders involved for a very specific discussion on reproductive health supplies.  This meeting included the private sector, governments (including our host, the government of Uganda), institutions working on systems strengthening like the Global Fund and UNFPA, and advocates like myself working to leverage political will and support for increased access. 

We discussed the many challenges that hinder both men and women's access to reproductive health supplies and services.  Stock-outs, limited contraceptive options, uncertainty in the arrival of supplies, oversupply in urban areas, undersupply in rural areas, lack of funding to provide the supplies and services… and the list goes on and on. 

There’s good news though: we have solutions!  The coalition has made a significant amount of progress to address many of these challenges.  In the past year, we have developed mechanisms to expedite procurement so that supplies are on the shelves when men and women need it; we’ve set up a database that potentially provides providers with accurate information on the status of their delivery; we’ve scaled-up advocacy efforts at all levels, from the district  level to the international level.

However, despite the technical language and overuse of acronyms in our discussions, the screening of a remarkable film (details soon!) reminded us that—at the end of the day--we’re talking about the lives of women and men and their right to plan their families, carry a safe pregnancy, and live healthy and productive lives.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today released the 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (YRBS) data, a national survey that assesses a wide variety of health behaviors – from smoking to fruit consumption to condom use – among young people.

According to the CDC, “More than 16,000 U.S. high school students participated in the 2009 National YRBS. Parental permission was obtained for students to participate in the survey.  Student participation was voluntary, and responses were anonymous. The 2009 report includes national data and data from surveys conducted in 42 states and 20 large urban school districts.”

The full 2009 survey data and information can be found at www.cdc.gov/yrbs.

by Viviana Santiago, Intern, Domestic Policy 

In November 2009, a 27-year-old pregnant mother of four suffering from pulmonary hypertension was admitted to St. Joseph's Catholic Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona. This condition has a mortality rate of between 30% and 56% in pregnant women. The pulmonary hypertension and right heart failure from which the woman was suffering led doctors to conclude that unless she aborted her 11-week-old fetus, the probability of death for her and her 11-week fetus was nearly 100%.

As the woman was too weak to be moved to another hospital, Sister Margaret McBride, a long-standing hospital administrator, member of the ethics panel at St. Joseph’s, and liaison to the diocese, authorized the young woman to have the abortion she needed.  As a result, the young woman’s life and health were preserved.

This week, upon learning of the abortion, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix immediately excommunicated Sister Margaret McBride for her role in supporting the abortion. Excommunication is the most serious penalty the church can impose.

For me, this story brings a number of questions to the forefront:

1) Are Catholic hospitals safe for pregnant women?  Are they places in which medical decisions will be based on what is best for the woman's health, not on religious dogma? To what code of ethics should these hospitals be held in terms of patient care?
 

by Emily Bridges, Director, Public Information Services 

Several heartbreaking articles about AIDS in Uganda and other low and middle income countries appeared in this Sunday's New York Times.

Uganda is often regarded as a model or microcosm of the fight against the HIV pandemic in Africa, and two of these articles address the situation there.  In sum:

1) "Casual sex" is on the rise
2) Condom use rates are decreasing and condom use is stigmatized
3) Not enough condoms are available
4) Few are fully educated about HIV and AIDS
5) High-risk situations like transactional sex and cross-generational sex contribute to the epidemic
6) The lack of a method that would combat HIV but not prevent pregnancy prevents many couples from using condoms
7) Funds to treat AIDS grow ever more limited as the world economy continues to falter.
8) A cure or vaccine seems to be nowhere in sight.

What can solve this terrible problem?

Advocates for Youth, Answer and SIECUS are proud to announce the launch of the Future of Sex Ed (FoSE) website (www.FutureofSexEd.org). The website is the  culmination of our efforts to create a national dialogue about the future of sex education and to promote the institutionalization of comprehensive sexuality education in public schools.

At its core, sex education comprises the foundation upon which young people develop knowledge, attitudes and skills that help them as they develop. All young people need and have the right to age-appropriate, honest sexuality education to help them take personal responsibility for their sexual health, both now and in the future.

The Future of Sex Ed project provides the tools for advancing comprehensive sex education at both national local levels, including:

• Background information on the history of sex education and how we got to where we are today
• Information on how to advocate for comprehensive sex education in your school or school district
• Guidelines for providing comprehensive sexuality education, and
• A framework for advancing comprehensive sexuality education.  

FoSE partner organizations also offer technical assistance to those who are or are seeking to become advocates for comprehensive sex education.  Visit www.FutureofSexEd.org for more information and resources.