Global Guidance Brief - HIV Interventions for Young People

A series of seven Guidance Briefs has been developed by the Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on HIV and Young People to assist United Nations Country Teams (UNCT) and UN Theme Groups on HIV/AIDS in providing guidance to their staffs, governments, donors and civil society on the specific actions that need to be in place to respond effectively to HIV among young people. This Brief provides a global overview and is complemented by a separate Brief for most-at-risk young people and five others on HIV interventions among young people provided through different settings /sectors: community, education, health, humanitarian emergencies and the workplace. The purpose of these Briefs is to help decision makers understand what needs to be implemented, based on the latest global evidence on effective interventions for young people. The Briefs provide an overview of evidence-informed interventions (not a blueprint for national programmes) in response to specific epidemic scenarios in different countries. Special attention should be directed to young people most at risk of HIV in all countries. In generalised and hyperendemic settings, interventions to prevent HIV also need to be directed to the general population of young people. The Briefs do not say “how to” implement the interventions outlined, but key resources are listed to provide further guidance. The Briefs also do not attempt to address the many cultural, institutional and structural specificities and factors that confront decision makers in different countries. They are therefore likely to require further adaptation and translation if they are to be used by national counterparts. The engagement of young people in the adaptation of the materials will enhance their usefulness.