Taking place in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the two-day “Regional Forum on HIV Prevention among young people in Arab States” kicked off earlier today. Addressing the forum, the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, Ahmad Alhendawi, stressed the importance of including young people in this work: “HIV prevention has been driven largely by activists, many of whom are young people who use technology to communicate in unprecedented manners. Being part of the decision-making process enables them to amplify their voices to share experiences and solidarity networks, and allows them to demand HIV services that respond to their particular needs.”
Organised by the General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare of the UAE in cooperation with the League of Arab States, UNFPA, and UNICEF, the regional forum will tomorrow recap today’s discussions and use group and plenary discussions to define the work going forward.

In a separate meeting, the Envoy discussed with Khalid Almidfa, Assistant Secretary-General of the General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare of the UAE, and Jamal Al Hammadi, Director of Youth and Culture, particularly about increased cooperation on youth between the United Nations and the Kingdom of the United Arab Emirates.