BUSAN, Republic of Korea (Joint news release) – The Asia-Pacific Interagency Task Team on Young Key Affected Populations launched the New Generation (NewGen) Asia initiative today at the International Congress on AIDS in Asia-Pacific (ICAAP). NewGen Asia engages young people from or working with young key affected populations as leaders and active participants and empowers them through a multi-faceted capacity-development programme.

Across the Asia-Pacific region an estimated half a million young people aged 15-24 are living with HIV. A significant number all new infections are among young key populations at higher risk of HIV infection, such as sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender people and those who inject drugs. Young people from key affected populations often face challenges accessing existing HIV prevention, treatment and care services and may face greater vulnerability due to legal barriers including age of consent.

A hundred guests enjoyed a lively long-table lunch, which launched a five day leadership course for young people from key affected populations and those working with them. The course, piloted this week in Busan in advance of ICAAP, has been developed and delivered by a team of technical experts from YouthLEAD, a regional network of members of key groups committed to advancing HIV prevention, with support from members of the Asia-Pacific Interagency Task Team on Young Key Affected Populations. The course uses a participatory approach to build skills in advocacy and leadership so that young key affected populations can have a stronger voice in the AIDS response.

The event also launched the NewGen mentorship programme which pairs 30 young leaders representing or working with young key affected populations and 30 experienced leaders from civil society, the United Nations and other development partners, and governments in the region.

Milinda Rajapaksha, a young mentee from Sri Lanka and a member of Youth LEAD, shared his enthusiasm for the initiative. “The NewGen programme will give me an opportunity not just to share my experiences and skills but to learn from people I look up to. It is creating an avenue to make leadership transformation systematic and sustainable.”

During the launch, mentors and mentees discussed their backgrounds and expectations and planned various activities they will engage in over the coming year. All agreed that the transferring of skills and knowledge from one generation of leaders to the next would be a two-way learning and sharing exercise.

The multi-pronged NewGen Asia initiative is the result of cooperation and collaboration from a number of UN and civil society partners. Anupama Rao Singh, UNICEF's Director of East Asia and the Pacific Region, commented on the importance of the initiative: “The NewGen Asia initiative, with support from the regional interagency task team, will build young people's leadership to advocate policies and programmes that concern them and prepare a new generation of change agents for the region's AIDS response.”

Gwang-Jo Kim, Director of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education, concurred and added that the initiative “is an important contribution to ensuring a new generation of leaders and a regional response which is dynamic, sustainable and effective.”

“Too often, agencies pay only lip-service to youth participation or leadership. The NewGen initiative makes the term ‘youth-led’ truly meaningful and moreover an enduring reality”, said Margaret Schuler, Director of Save the Children’s Global Initiative on HIV&AIDS.

According to George Tembo, UNFPA’s Chief of HIV, “The many young leaders here today have shown commitment to HIV prevention for their peers. Most have faced and overcome many challenges including stigma and discrimination in their own lives. Adult-youth partnerships to support their on-going work are critical.”

Speaking on behalf of the UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibe, UNAIDS Director of Programme Effectiveness and Country Support, Tim Martineau, underlined the importance of ensuring young people from key populations are systematically involved in planning and implementation of programmes. “More than anyone, these young leaders know their environments and are the most powerful engine we have for transformation and progress. These are not just our leaders of tomorrow: these are our leaders of today,” he said.

It is hoped that the multi-pronged NewGen Asia initiative will reap clear benefits in increasing the effective engagement of key affected populations in the Asia-Pacific region who are bearing the brunt of the AIDS epidemic.

For more information, please contact: 
Beth Magne Watts, tel. +66 81 835 3476 or +82 105 677 2334, magnewattsb@unaids.org