The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) launched a report titled All In, in Eastern and Southern Africa: Catalysing the HIV response for adolescents.
Launched at the 22nd International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam, the report demonstrates progress made on adolescent HIV programming in the Eastern and Southern African Region (ESAR) in a few short years. Qualitative in approach, the report explores how the impact of HIV on adolescents and young people was given visibility and focus as a result of the All In to end adolescent AIDS (All-In) country assessments, which systematically reviewed and analyzed data, programmes and strategies currently responding to adolescent HIV.
“We are proud to launch this report, which shows how All In, a collaborative initiative, was able to successfully mobilize partners and engage adolescents and young people in order to influence policies and programmes affecting the lives of young people,” said Leila Pakkala, UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa.
The report shows that three years after the global launch of All In in Kenya, adolescents are recognized as a key group to work with and respond to in an effective HIV response.
Recognising that of the 25 All In priority countries, 14 high burden countries – Botswana, eSwatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe – are in ESAR, the report tracks country progress and shows how governments and partners took initiative in order to better understand the situation of adolescent HIV. Adolescents and young people in countries were engaged throughout the process, which allowed for strong advocacy and shifts in programming to support adolescents living with HIV and those at risk of HIV infection.
The report shows how a phased approach catalysed programmes to be more focused on the specific needs of adolescents. Most of all, the report outlines how urgent action, including high-level political commitment, was galvanized for adolescents and young people in the region.
