The 25th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2024) took place in Munich, Germany, from the 22nd - 26th July, with its pre-conferences on the 20th - 21st July under the theme: “Put People First”. AIDS 2024 is the largest biennial conference that unites communities, activists, civil society organisations, researchers, clinicians, inter-governmental organisations, governments and many others from across the globe to exchange innovations, new evidence and advancements within the HIV response.
As one of the co-hosts of the Munich Youth Force, together with LetsStopAIDS, Y+ Global had the opportunity to lead and drive the youth agenda at the Youth Pavilion in the Global Village through the help and support of various regional and global youth-led organisations and networks in HIV and sexual reproductive health responses. This program was created by 40 young activists and advocates from across the globe, working in seven different working groups since the beginning of 2024.
Aside from the conference’s primary theme of ‘Put People First,’ for the Munich Youth Force, the theme Breaking Barriers, Building Power, and Forging Alliances, was chosen to reflect how young people continue to break down the barriers that hinder progress to HIV responses, to build power through collective action and knowledge, and to forge alliances that strengthen our global community.
Removing the obstacles that prevent youth-led organisations from leading the response to HIV: Here is how we broke barriers.
Breaking barriers is about overcoming the gaps and challenges in the HIV response to engage young people effectively and involve them in program interventions to address stigma, improve education, enhance healthcare services, and advocate for policy changes. The theme presents an opportunity for young people living with and affected by HIV to reflect on the obstacles that hinder their leadership, including lack of funding, inadequate training, and pervasive stigma.
Key discussions at the Youth Pavilion showcased innovative strategies to overcome the barriers young people encounter. Sessions explored securing sustainable funding, strengthening capacity-building programs, and tackling challenges in the HIV response. Young leaders engaged with intersectional issues, including comprehensive sexuality education, climate change, and digital health literacy. Special attention was given to harm reduction, self-care, and mental health in HIV programming, highlighted through TED Talks. Visitors to the art exhibit were deeply moved by the powerful depictions of young faces driving the HIV response, reflecting the resilience and advocacy of youth in this critical area.
In the lead-up to AIDS 2024, the READY movement partnered with the Munich Youth Force to develop the Youth Declaration, which aimed to identify the needs and priorities of young people living with and affected by HIV. This declaration serves as a powerful tool to secure financial, technical, and political support for youth-focused initiatives and to bolster youth-led responses to HIV, ensuring that no young person is left behind.
The Munich Youth Force promoted young people's priorities in the HIV response. Here is how we built power.
“Young people must continue to challenge the systems, leaders, donors and governments. There will be consequences, but change cannot be made without action! You are the leaders of today.”Dr. Vuyiseka Dubula
Head of the Community, Rights and Gender Department at the Global Fund
At the Youth Pre-Conference, the Munich Youth Force laid the groundwork for how the program would unfold at the Youth Pavilion. Keynote speakers shared their commitment to supporting youth-led responses to HIV, emphasising the responsibility of those in positions of power and influence to break down barriers alongside young people. They underscored the importance of forging alliances with youth networks and organisations and empowering young people as leaders and changemakers.
“Young people are not just beneficiaries of the programmes; they are partners and leaders. It’s crucial that they use their skills, lived experience, and expertise to inform the HIV response. UNAIDS is proud to partner with youth-led organisations to drive change... and to empower young people to end AIDS by 2030 by highlighting the essential role of youth leadership in the HIV response.”Eamonn Murphy
UNAIDS Director, Regional Support Teams for Asia Pacific and Eastern Europe and Central Asia
“Forming partnerships is much easier when you can identify like-minded allies; it’s essential to grasp their constraints and goals. This doesn’t mean you need to reshape your identity around their needs, but rather, understanding them helps you better position your own work and approach.”Birgit Poniatowski
Executive Director of the International AIDS Society
The Youth Pavilion sessions were filled with empowering conversations about movement building, campaigning, and capacity strengthening. The stories shared by the READY Movement, Love Alliance's My Reality Campaign, and Vibrant Young Voices demonstrated the incredible impact of grassroots organising, personal narratives and storytelling, and ethical engagement in supporting and empowering marginalised groups of young people in the HIV response.
UNAIDS and Y+ Global also launched Youth Next Level, a guidance resource with recommendations on supporting and strengthening the scale-up of youth-led HIV responses. Additionally, discussions were held on the crucial role of youth-led monitoring in assessing interventions at various levels and the significance of protecting young people's digital health rights while promoting digital literacy.
“My key takeaways from the 2024 International AIDS Conference are the importance of integrating SRHR into HIV discussions, strengthening health systems to serve communities better, and addressing the intense stigma faced by key populations to ensure equality and health equity.”Yvonne Musukuma
Copper Rose Zambia
Forging alliances for sustainable progress in the HIV response. Here is how we forged alliances
Partnerships and strategic collaborations are the foundations of an effective HIV response. Without the meaningful engagement of young people in decision-making spaces and financing of sustainable youth-led responses to HIV, we will not be able to end AIDS.
Youth-led networks have shown that building partnerships with organisations outside their usual scope can lead to significant achievements. This includes enhancing international dialogues between communities and raising awareness about interconnected health issues like hepatitis and HIV. For instance, Y+ Global and the World Hepatitis Alliance have collaborated to create a youth-focused digital toolkit called ‘Living Positively with HIV and Hepatitis.’ This toolkit aims to educate and empower young people to make informed decisions about their health, especially on HIV and hepatitis testing, and to highlight the critical need to improve access to treatment and care on a global scale.
In a concerted effort to strengthen alliances with diverse groups, the Youth Pavilion hosted faith-based discussions with leaders from various faith-based organisations. These conversations underscored the importance of bolstering partnerships to enhance advocacy efforts and secure sustainable funding for youth-focused interventions in the HIV response.
Young people and youth-led organisations had the opportunity to share their personal stories and showcase the remarkable initiatives they are leading across different countries and regions through video and podcast recordings. Listen to the podcast via Spotify here.
Some challenges remained, such as language interpretation and visa rejections
At the conference, attendees, including young people, experienced language barriers that hindered their meaningful engagement in the sessions. This year, IAS introduced simultaneous AI interpretation for the first time, allowing content to be translated from English to local languages, but not vice versa. As a result, sessions held in other languages missed crucial opportunities for audience engagement. The lack of appropriate translation services made it challenging for non-English speakers to participate meaningfully. This further highlights marginalised individuals from socio-economic backgrounds where learning and understanding English is a privilege.
Organisers, donors and supporters should offer adequate multilingual support, provide financial assistance and scholarships, and conduct pre-conference workshops in multiple languages to tackle these challenges and ensure that future events are more inclusive. Additionally, developing inclusive communication platforms and ensuring diverse representation in event planning can help meet the needs of all participants, creating a more equitable space for young leaders to engage.
One significant challenge at AIDS 2024 was visa rejections. Many young people could not attend the conference due to visa rejections, leading to empty seats and missed opportunities for crucial discussions. The Munich Youth Force and READY Movement organised the 'Visa Denied' campaign by placing placards in the seats of absent speakers, symbolising the young people who could not attend due to visa rejections. It is deeply concerning that even after the AIDS 2022 conference in Montreal, Canada, the participation of young people from developing countries continues to be hindered when conferences are held in the Global North.
The Youth March, held around the Global Village, underscored the powerful voices of young people. However, for these voices to be heard, more must be done to ensure that young people have the opportunity to attend these crucial spaces. The support of the host country's government and foreign offices is essential in securing visas for young participants. 'No visa, no voice!' serves as a stark reminder that without this backing, many young voices could be silenced.
Y+ Global held virtual hubs in 12 countries to ensure young people were engaged at the conference
In addition to the 20 young people that Y+ Global supported from various programs and consortium-led initiatives at AIDS 2024, more than 200 young people from Colombia, Honduras, Kenya, Laos, Malawi, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe attended the conference through the virtual country hubs.
[From left to right: virtual hubs organised by Y+ Malawi, Copper Rose Zambia, and Community Health and Inclusion Association (CHIAs) Laos]
“My experience joining the AIDS2024 virtual hub in Kenya was incredibly exciting. It felt like Germany was brought close, and I loved the different sessions I could listen to. I'm pleased that the young people who attended physically emphasised the need for mentorship and resources. We are experts in our own right and must be trusted to achieve the programmatic impacts that directly affect us”Maryann Wambugu
A Young Advocate from the Kenya Virtual Hub
The virtual hubs offer a great opportunity to increase participation in the conference without the difficulties and expenses associated with travel. During the AIDS 2022 Conference, Y+ Global established these hubs in multiple countries to help inform and connect young people to critical discussions around HIV and other health-related issues and to encourage activists to make the most of the conference. This year, we continued this initiative with the support of the International AIDS Society, the International Community of Women Living with HIV (ICW), the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+), and the Love Alliance through Aidsfonds.
By helping networks of young people living with HIV to establish virtual hubs in their own countries, activists could meet in person, participate in the conference virtually, share their experiences and perspectives, and learn from others.
“From the Virtual Hub, I learned that prioritising people in HIV prevention efforts is crucial. People living with HIV deserve not just survival but a quality life. Engaging communities to end stigma, status acceptance, and promoting U=U are essential for effective treatment and adherence.”Rita Siachande
A Young Advocate from the Zambia Virtual Hub
While our participation at the AIDS 2024 conference was extensive, invigorating, and centred on the youth, a long road to achieving those global goals still lies ahead. Ending AIDS by 2030 is only five years away.
Conversations and sessions with young people and supporters of youth-led responses have revealed that progress is stalled in many countries, with laws and policies still infringing on fundamental human rights and young people frequently excluded from discussions that affect their lives. While the principle of 'Put People First' is crucial, it is equally essential to confront the inequalities that place political agendas above the needs of marginalised communities and those who need access to services the most. Addressing these inequalities requires interventions centred on those most affected by HIV and ensuring that no one is left behind in the global response to HIV.
“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the International AIDS Society and ViiV Positive Action for making our vision for AIDS 2024 a reality. We also deeply appreciate the generous contributions from the Global Fund, Hivos, and Gilead. Our thanks go to our partners and allies for their unwavering support of the Munich Youth Force. Most importantly, we sincerely thank the young people who organised, attended, and volunteered at the conference. We hope AIDS 2024 met your expectations and inspired your continued commitment to the cause.”Maximina Jokonya
Executive Director of Y+ Global