1. HIV and Education EFA Media Training Ludo Bok - UNAIDS secretariat

2. Education and the response to HIV
Provides knowledge for prevention
Provides skills for prevention
Helps to overcome conditions that facilitate the spread of HIV
Creates conditions of understanding, respect and tolerance (provides an answer to stigma and discrimination)

3. Need for behaviour change
Prevention requires more than transmitting accurate health information
Effective prevention = change of risk behaviours
Behaviours are embedded in social, economic and cultural patterns

4. School systems and the response to HIV
Education protects individuals: gives young people increased control over their sexual choices
Education informs individuals: reaches the target group when values, beliefs and sexual behaviours are still open to change
Education protects societies: mitigate the loss of human capital when an increasing number of adults die

5. Beyond prevention
To maximize effectiveness need for holistic approaches
Prevention, treatment, care and support are mutually necessary and interdependent
Comprehensive education sector responses use this holistic approach
A comprehensive education sector response includes
(1) quality education
(2) content, curriculum and learning materials
(3) educator training and support
(4) policy, management and systems

6. Challenges in Asia and the pacific
Demand for sex work fuelled by:
(1) rapid economic growth
(2) highly mobile populations
(3) changing sexual norms
Refusal to acknowledge the existence of “social evils” results in:
(1) discouragement of discussions about sex and drug use
(2) lack of access to information, skills and tools
(3) lack of access to VCT and appropriate treatment
(4) harm reduction being a sensitive issue

7. Challenges in Asia and the pacific (cont.)
Stigma to sex, death and drug use results in:
(1) stigma and discrimination towards people involved in sex work, MSM, drug use
(2) difficult for teachers and/or not accepted by parents to raise these issues in the class room
Prevention education has to take in account the region specific:
(1) cultural aspects (norms, values, languages,…)
(2) structural aspects (gender, class, ethnicity)
Education systems not prepared for the impact on the system itself