UNESCO finalises its new regional strategic framework for HIV & AIDS and Adolescent Reproductive Health in Asia and the Pacific

UNESCO’s Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education has recently finalised its Regional Strategic Framework for HIV and AIDS, Adolescent Reproductive & School Health in the Asia–Pacific region for 2009-2015.

The Framework aims to guide the work conducted by 12 UNESCO cluster and country offices, two UNESCO antenna offices and several National Commissions in the Asia and Pacific region.

It builds on HIV components within existing UN targets and commitments, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Dakar Framework of Action for Education for All (EFA). It also incorporates the latest epidemiological evidence collated and analyzed in the AIDS in Asia Commission Report, and refers to UNESCO’s Strategy for Responding to HIV and AIDS and the previous Asia-Pacific regional strategy (2002-2007). It also builds on the very much expanded and improved responses and experiences of UNESCO country offices in the Asia-Pacific region since the first strategy was developed in 2002.

The new strategy will focus on three critical areas:

1. Mobilizing the education sector to respond to the HIV prevention needs of adolescents via educational institutions;
2. Improving coordination, strategic information and jointly agreed standards of quality for HIV prevention programmes for those most-at-risk for HIV, especially men who have sex with men;
3. Responding to the HIV prevention needs and reducing the general vulnerability of social, cultural and ethnic minority populations.

The Framework includes planned strategic actions for each of the above areas, as well as overall guiding principles for UNESCO’s work in the region.

Publication Date: 03-08-2009