1. Gender, Education and HIV
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Gender Focal Points Network Training Workshop Paris, November 2011
Gender, Education and HIV
Dhianaraj Chetty
Section of Education and HIV and AIDS
Division of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development
Mary Guinn Delaney
Regional AIDS Advisor, Latin America and the Caribbean
UNESCO
We have just heard the shocking results from the SACMEQ study.
What can the Education sector do now, to contribute to a major shift in the way that young people are able to protect themselves from HIV, and to live full, healthy and productive lives?

2. The education sector response
UNESCO’s mandate in the UNAIDS division of labour
HIV prevention for children and young people through the education sector
Multi-sectoral approach within UNESCO – CI, SHS, Science and Culture
Main concern is with improving knowledge, skills and values as a means of supporting behaviour change
Heightened concern with the need to reach key health outcomes
Within the UBRAF, UNESCO will prioritise gender focused outcomes – reducing sexual transmission amongst young people, women and girls in national responses, GBV (including homophobic bullying), CSW

3. Making gender a priority (1)
GOAL C3: HIV-specific needs of women and girls are addressed in at least half of all national HIV responses
I5. UNESCO
a. Support countries support to ensure that (1) the needs of women and girls in relation to HIV are addressed & monitored in national education sector responses, and (2) comprehensive sexuality education addressing gender inequalities & inequities is delivered.
Output C3.1.3 Social movements that address HIV-specific needs of women and girls catalyzed and strengthened.
J2. UNFPA, UNESCO
a. Strengthen capacity of governments to engage men & boys through gender equality and comprehensive sexuality education programmes challenging traditional gender norms & unequal gender relations.

4. Making gender a priority (2)
GOAL C4: Zero tolerance for gender-based violence
Outcome C4.1: National responses integrate GBV and HIV at the policy, programme and services level, including actions and resources that address and prevent both pandemics in an integrated manner
J1. UNHCR, UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, UNESCO, WHO
a. Support the consolidation, analysis, promotion and use of country-specific qualitative & quantitative evidence & programmatic guidance on the association of GBV & HIV, including work on the global initiative on violence against women, GBV towards sex workers, transgender people, women who use drugs & marginalized adolescent girls, GBV in populations affected by humanitarian situations, & homophobic bullying in school settings.

5. The education sector response
Comprehensive sexuality education as a platform for HIV prevention

6. Comprehensive Sexuality Education as a platform for HIV prevention
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Comprehensive Sexuality Education as a platform for HIV prevention
Provide good quality school based CSE
Impact on HIV transmission, unintended pregnancy and STIs
The impact of CSE on sexual behaviour
Delay in sexual debut
Reduction in the number of sexual partners, and
Increase in safer sexual practices
HIV prevention strengthened
In 2008 UNESCO commissioned an in depth review of the impact of Sexuality Education – 87 studies were analysed and we can now confidently state that there are significant benefits and positive impacts of well planned comprehensive sexuality education programmes.
Comprehensive sexuality education can lead to: Delay in sexual debut, Reduction in the number of sexual partners, and Increase in safer sexual practices
All of this is of course critical in HIV prevention.
Crucially – the evidence demonstrates that SEXUALITY EDUCATION DOES NO HARM. By this we mean, sexuality education DOES NOT encourage young people to start having sex – as you can see from the above, it can contribute to a later sexual debut.

7. Broader outcomes of CSE
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Broader outcomes of CSE
Health and non-health outcomes of CSE:
Factors which increase vulnerability of girls and women
Formal schooling – protective effects
Evidence and advocacy developing on the non-health outcomes at global level
Sexuality and power - gender equality must be a priority
UNESCO’s global approach - ITGSE
Gender transformative, rights-based approach – including gender and power, gender norms, identity, sexual diversity, same sex relationships, GBV, discrimination etc
Need for programmatic guidance at global and country level in the education sector
Effective sexuality education is a vital part of HIV prevention and is also critical to achieving Universal Access Targets for reproductive health and HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. We can see here that the outcomes are reduced misinformation and increased correct knowledge- these are what we are concerned with here.
Although we know that knowledge alone cannot change behaviour, we now have concrete evidence to show that comprehensive sexuality education can improve knowledge and subsequently lead to changing practices and behaviours that will reduce HIV transmission, unwanted teen pregnancies and STIs.

8. Way Forward GPP 7 – ‘Gender Equality, HIV and Education’
YPLHIV – the education sector response (forthcoming end 2011)
Use global platforms incl IATTs (Education and Young People) +other UN interventions
Engage men and boys
Sex work, MSM, GBV as entry points for strengthening our approach
Regional initiatives
Civil society partnerships

9. Thank you More information: www.unesco.org/aids