First Anniversary of the Ministerial Declaration “Preventing Through Education”

1 August 2009 marks the first anniversary of the Ministerial Declaration “Preventing through Education”, approved in Mexico City during the 1st Meeting of Ministers of Health and Education to Stop HIV in Latin America and the Caribbean.

This meeting, which included 30 Ministries of Health and 26 Ministries of Education from the region, led to a Declaration committing countries to:

1. By 2015, reduce by 75% per cent the number of schools under the jurisdiction of the Ministries of Education that have failed to institutionalize comprehensive sex education.
2. By 2015, reduce by 50% the number of adolescents and young people who are not covered by health services that address their sexual and reproductive health needs appropriately.

The Ministries of Health and Education of Mexico, UNAIDS and the Group of Regional Directors for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations, and the National Center for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control of Mexico (CENSIDA) have issued a Communiqué in English and Spanish which:

• reaffirms their commitment to work in a coordinated and intersectoral manner to promote the content of the Declaration at all levels and in all sectors, and to mobilize resources to meet them.


• monitor progress relative to the commitments undertaken and intensify efforts to meet the agreed goals.

encourage the implementation of national and regional activities that will enhance comprehensive sexuality education and sexual and reproductive health promotion, grounded in scientific evidence and to the benefit of young people in the region.

• promote technical cooperation among the countries in the region to provide adolescents and young people with the knowledge and skills they need in their personal, social and sexual lives.

• 03-08-2009