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Bali Youth Force is an integrated alliance of local and international youth organizations and young people from Asia and the Pacific coming together to collectively advocate for the rights of Young People at the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific. It is a united team of a diverse region.

The following recommendations are a compilation of the outcome of a month long online consultation with more than 50 Young people across Asia and the Pacific, as well as the experiences and inputs of over 130 youth delegates at the two day Youth Pre Congress.

1. Achieve meaningful youth participation

All young people have the right to meaningfully participate in programmes and policy making processes that affect their lives. Several international documents such as the UNGASS Declaration of Commitment on HIV and AIDS, Convention on the Rights of the Child, the International Conference on Population and Development Program of Action, the Beijing Platform for Action as well as the Millennium Development Goals recognize and endorse this. Our governments have committed to implement the provisions in these documents.

Decision-makers must:
a.Institutionalize youth-adult partnerships in all local, national and international processes
b. Ensure democratic processes for youth participation to have leadership role in developing, implementing and monitoring programmes and policies
c. Ensure capacity-building for young people to access and engage effectively with policy processes


2. Strengthen financial commitments for youth-led and youth-serving initiatives

Youth-led organizations and groups have demonstrated a positive impact at international, national and local levels in responding to HIV and AIDS. Governments and donors must:
a. Increase long-term funding for youth-led and youth-run initiatives
b. Ensure adequate resources for operational and programme costs for sustainability
c. Ensure youth access to existing funding mechanisms, making them youth-friendly

3. Mainstream Human Rights in the HIV and AIDS response for ALL young people

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that all people have the fundamental right to life, health, livelihood and dignity. These rights need to be respected, protected and fulfilled for all young people, including but not limited to:

*Girls and young women
*Orphans, street children and other vulnerable young people
*Young people who inject or use drugs
*Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer young people
*Young sex workers
*Young people in juvenile homes and prisons
*Young people living or born with HIV
*Young people living with disability

Human Rights Principles must be applied to all components of the HIV response from prevention and testing to treatment, care and support for all young people without discrimination.

4. Fulfill young people’s sexual and reproductive rights

Governments must respect, protect and fulfill young people’s sexual and reproductive rights, including but not limited to:

a. The right to comprehensive sexuality education3 which enables young people to make informed decisions about their lives
b. The right to comprehensive and youth-friendly4 sexual and reproductive health services, especially condoms, contraceptives, safe abortion, emergency contraception, management / treatment for sexually transmitted infections, voluntary counseling and testing for HIV
c. The right to express and enjoy their sexuality

5. Eliminate stigma and discrimination against young people (esp. marginalized young people)

Stigma is an obstacle for effective HIV prevention, testing, treatment, care and support for all young people. Universal access cannot be achieved without eliminating stigma and taking affirmative action. Young people living with HIV and other young people from key populations6 face layered stigma, thus increasing vulnerability. Governments and decision-makers must:

a. Develop, enforce and monitor comprehensive anti-discriminatory laws and policies in partnership with communities
b. Ensure adequate capacity-building and earmarked funding within all programmes for addressing stigma and discrimination

The above statements are the final recommendations from the Bali Youth Force for the 9th ICAAP and beyond. Youth Representatives have delivered these recommendations during the Community Forum Caucus and the AIDS AMBASSADORS & CHAMPIONS MEETINGS, participated by various stakeholders and leaders such as Jeff O'Malley-HIV & AIDS Coordinator for UNDP; Purnima Mane-Deputy Executive Director of UNFPA; Siti Supari Fadillah-Ministry of Health, Indonesia; and Ibu Ani Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono-First Lady of Indonesia among others. The BYF is hoping that these recommendations will be brought to countries and and local communities of Asia Pacific Region.

Download the PDF File of the BYF Recommendations, click: BYF Recommendations.pdf

AIDS is widely acknowledged as a global health and development emergency and is one of the defining issues of our time. In the early to mid-1980s, while the other parts of the world were beginning to deal with serious HIV and AIDS epidemics, Asia remained relatively unaffected by this newly discovered health problem. By the early 1990s, however, AIDS epidemics had emerged in several Asian countries and by the end of that decade; HIV was spreading rapidly in many areas of the continent.

According to the UNAIDS Global AIDS Epidemic Report, there are 5 million people living with HIV in Asia (1,2). The epidemic varies considerably across this diverse region, in terms of the populations most affected, transmission patterns, and other factors. Prevalence rates (the percent of the population living with HIV) in Asia are highest in South-East Asia, and range by country, from 0.1% or less in a number of countries, including Bhutan, China, the Republic of Korea, and Mongolia, to a high of 1.4% in Thailand (1,2). While prevalence rates in the region are relatively low, Asia accounts for 15% of all people living with HIV and AIDS worldwide, largely due to epidemics in the populous countries of China and India where even small rates translate into high numbers of people. Smaller countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar face more intense epidemics, with higher prevalence rates, although each of these countries has experienced declines in recent years. Others, including Indonesia, Pakistan, and Vietnam, face growing epidemics (1,3,4) .

Several factors complicate country responses to the epidemic in Asia, including poverty, stigma, discrimination, gender inequalities, human trafficking, worker migration, and lack of access to education and health care (1,3,4,5). Also, inadequate HIV and AIDS surveillance systems and limited government capacity and/or attention to HIV and AIDS have hindered responses in some countries (5,6). Despite these challenges, several countries have made remarkable strides in treatment and prevention efforts. Country responses have included the creation of national AIDS coordinating bodies, national strategic plans, and participation in regional network (5,6).

HIV in Asia is spread primarily through sex, with commercial sex largely driving transmission in much of the region. Injecting drug use is a major risk factor in several Asian countries and there is growing concern about the overlap of sex work and injecting drug use as well as the transmission of HIV to the partners of those infected through commercial sex1. Finally, sex between men contributes to HIV transmission, particularly in Thailand and Vietnam. Regional data show prevalence rates among men who have sex with men (MSM) are also high in parts of Indonesia, Cambodia, and India, but more research is needed to understand the extent of its impact.

Mostly in the countries like Nepal, Cambodia Thailand, India, and Indonesia female sex workers are the most affected group. Male having sex with male also face the significant risk of HIV although much study has not been carried out. Data show prevalence rate among this population range from a low of 0.2% in Bangladesh to more than 20% in Thailand (1,7). Injecting drug use plays a major role in the epidemics of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Vietnam. Also, nearly half of those living with HIV and AIDS in China are believed to have been infected through injecting drugs and more than two-thirds of HIV infections to date in Malaysia have been among injecting drug users (1). More than one-third (35%) of adults (aged 15 and older) living with HIV and AIDS in Asia are women, a proportion that has remained relatively stable in recent years 1. In 2007, an estimated 147,800 children under the age of 15 were living with HIV in Asia; 23,000 were newly infected in 2007 (1,2).

The HIV and AIDS epidemic in the Asian Region is not only a serious health problem but also has important economic and social implications. Since young people and children are more likely to be infected by HIV, the potential loss of human capital and earning potential is immense. The spread of HIV is linked with poverty through both cause and effect. While widespread poverty and unequal distribution of income stimulate the spread of the disease, HIV infection in households exacerbates poverty and social inequality, creating conditions for a larger epidemic in the Region. Breaking the vicious circle is essential for improving the quality of life across the Region (9).

HIV related stigma and discrimination undermine Asia’s responses to the epidemic, preventing people from using a range of important services. Discrimination among people living with HIV affects their access to employment, housing, insurance, social service, education, health and inheritance rights for men and women. In some countries, a strong prejudice against people living with HIV has been found in health services (8).

THE BALI YOUTH FORCE T-SHIRT

BYF T-shirt Designed by: The Media & Communications Committee
(Gyna Lydiana, Roli Mahajan & Igor Mocorro)

ASIA PACIFIC REGIONAL YOUTH FORUM The 9th ICAAP is hosting a pre congress forum for youth from 7 - 8 August 2009 at Inna Grand Bali Beach Hotel in Sanur, Bali. The Youth Forum is one of the seven pre-congress community forums hosted during the congress. With a main theme on "Meaningful and active youth participation to robust youth leadership on SRH issues among Asia and the Pacific region," the forum will discuss three key issues: 1. Youth-Adult Partnership 2. Youth involvement in decision making 3. Youth empowerment on advocacy and Youth unite. The forum expects to mobilize 200 delegates from Asia Pacific region and beyond. Participation in the Youth Forum is free for registered congress delegates. Selected number non-congress delegates may attend the forum by invitations only. Please confirm your participation, fill up the form: COMMUNITY FORUM REGISTRATION FORM.doc

Activity Date Time
Youth Team building 7 Aug 2009 09.00 - 18.00
Community Forum Opening Programme 7 Aug 2009 19.00
Breakout Forum: Youth 8 Aug 2009 09.00 - 18.00
Venue: Inna Grand Bali Beach Hotel, Satur

Community Forum Closing Plenary 9 Aug 2009 09.00 - 12.30
Venue: Bali International Convention Centre, Nusa Dua

For inquiry about Youth Forum, you may email to: wg.communityforum@icaap9.org

To download the 9th ICAAP Bali Youth Force Guidebook, click:
9th ICAAP Bali Youth Force Guidebook.pdf