By Abdulfatah Babatunde
Two young social media influencers, living with HIV, have called on world leaders to partner with them in the response to HIV.
With support from UNAIDS, they are attending the UN General Assembly and the Summit of the Future in New York.
TheNewsZenith reports that Ibanomonde Ngema and Jerop Limo from South Africa and Kenya respectively, will call on leaders to invest in youth-friendly health systems.
They urged world leaders to provide holistic services for young people living with HIV.
They also want them to partner with young people and communities, allowing them to lead in the response to HIV.
Their call to world leaders is contained in a statement issued by UNAIDS and emailed to TheNewsZenith, on Thursday.
“Young people’s powerful and vibrant activism has driven so much of the progress made in the HIV response,” Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS stated.
“They know what works for them. Leaders need to listen to them to understand the specific challenges that young people face. And, how they can overcome those challenges.
“Leaders can only successfully plan how to end AIDS and sustain the advances made by partnering with young people living with HIV,” Byanyima added.
Limo, the young Kenyan HIV activist, said he was representing the voices of 1.5 million Kenyans living with HIV. And, that of all people living with HIV.
“I want leaders to leave New York, knowing that we are not beneficiaries, we are equal rights holders.
“We have a voice; we have skills and expertise and we need an equal playing field where our data is valued, where our input is valued and where our voices are heard.
“We want meaningful and ethical engagement of adolescents and young people in all spaces of the AIDS response,” she said.
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UNAIDS stated that HIV affects young people, especially adolescent girls and young women, disproportionately.
“Globally, 44 per cent of all new HIV infections were among women and girls (all ages) in 2023.
“Every week, 4000 young women and girls around the world are infected with HIV, and 3100 are in sub-Saharan Africa.”
Also, Ngema, the young South African AIDS activist, painted a glooming picture of how HIV is hindering the lives of adolescent girls and women.
“In 2023, some 3.1 million adolescents and young people (15-24 years) were living with HIV, 1.9 million were adolescent girls and young women.
“Governments meeting here in New York cannot end AIDS alone. They need to involve us to find solutions.
“We have lived experiences of HIV, from treatment to mental health, because we navigate life with HIV every day.
“We want our inclusion in policymaking. By our involvement, we can take full ownership of ending AIDS as a public threat,” she said.
“The world can only benefit when leaders include young people in the global HIV response.
“No conversation about HIV should take place without us, from policy to practice in communities.”
Too often, young people report facing stigma and discrimination, including from doctors and healthcare workers, when they access sexual and reproductive health and HIV services.
This discourages them from seeking support and crucial information about their health. It puts them at risk of HIV infection or defaulting on treatment for those who are living with HIV.
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