Celebrating International Youth Day!

As we mark International Youth Day on 12 August, we reaffirm our commitment to children and young people globally.

Different contexts. Common aspirations. That’s the UN theme for #InternationalYouthDay 2026, and it captures something we see constantly in our work with children and adolescents affected by HIV.

For young people living with or affected by HIV, the challenges they face are shaped by where they live, their circumstances and the support available to them. But across these different contexts, young people are clear about what they need to thrive: access to quality, integrated healthcare and support, freedom from stigma and discrimination, and meaningful opportunities to influence the decisions that affect their lives and futures.

An estimated 2.42 million children and young people aged 0–19 were living with HIV globally in 20241. However, young people affected by HIV are not a single group with a single story. An adolescent mother in Uganda, a young person championing for the rights of others living with HIV in South Africa, an adolescent in a country with the fewest resources to respond. While their location may differ, what doesn’t is what they’re asking for: access to quality integrated healthcare, dignity, and a genuine say in decisions that shape their futures.

That’s why the Coalition for Children Affected by AIDS’ involvement in the Vibrant Young Voices Consortium is so crucial. It exists to put youth-led perspectives directly into the advocacy agenda, particularly at a moment when funding cuts are reshaping what support is available to children and adolescents affected by HIV worldwide. With this in mind, we have been asking young people to have their say – at the recent AIDS Conference in Rio, Brazil, and online through this important survey.

On a day meant to recognise young people as partners rather than beneficiaries, we’re recommitting to that principle in practice, not just in language. That’s why on International Youth Day we are reaffirming our commitment to ensuring we work together to end AIDS for children and young people across the globe.

Learn more about our work with key populations, including adolescent mothers, young people and youth advocates. Join our advocacy network here and complete the survey here. Let’s stand together for all children and adolescents affected by HIV.

1.https://data.unicef.org/topic/hivaids/global-regional-trends