B ackground

B ackground
In line with the increased emphasis on
aid effectiveness and United Nations (UN) reform,
development cooperation agencies are committed to
working towards more harmonised and transparent
activities so that their collective actions have a greater
impact. Coordination and harmonisation of responses
to the HIV and AIDS crisis are at the centre of the
work being carried out by UNAIDS Inter-Agency Task
Teams (IATTs).2 In this context, the UNAIDS IATT on
Education brings together UNAIDS Cosponsors,
bilateral agencies and civil society organizations3
with the purpose of accelerating and improving
a coordinated and harmonised education sector
response to HIV and AIDS. The aim is to promote
good practice both globally and at regional and
country levels.
The UNAIDS IATT on Education is convinced that HIV
and AIDS mainstreaming into existing education sector
programmes and projects is the key to addressing
HIV and AIDS effectively through education. While the
main responsibility for mainstreaming lies with ministries
of education, the IATT recognises that development
cooperation agencies can and should play a major role
by supporting and sustaining dialogue with partners, by
prioritising a comprehensive sector-wide approach to
mainstreaming HIV and AIDS, and by providing resources
and inputs. This toolkit is part of these efforts.
P o i n t o f d e p a r t u r e
Education contributes to the empowerment
of the individual, as well as to a country’s economic
and social well-being. It helps individuals to make
more informed choices about their health, family
size, their future and the future of their children. In line
with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and
commitments to Education for All (EFA)4, IATT member
agencies are committed to ensuring that education is
accessible to every child, that it is of high quality, and
that it provides the knowledge and skills that children
and young people need to secure their future. All levels
of education — from early childhood to post-secondary
to adult literacy programmes — and all modes of
delivery (e.g. formal and non-formal) have an important
role to play in the advancement of a country’s socioeconomic
status and its capacity to deliver services,
including for the education sector itself.
The linkages between HIV & AIDS and education are
complex. On the one hand, the chances of achieving
important education goals set by the international
community are severely threatened by HIV and AIDS.
The AIDS epidemic undermines broad progress in
development and reduction of poverty and, in doing
so, poses a serious threat to basic human rights. On
the other hand, global commitments to strategies,
policies and programmes that reduce the vulnerability
of children and young people to HIV will not be met
without the full contribution of the education sector.
Preventing and mitigating the impact of the epidemic
is therefore a top priority.
Education has the potential to reduce the risk of
exposure to HIV. Research from around the world shows
that participating in primary and secondary schooling
is a critical factor in protecting young people, and
especially girls, from HIV infection.5 Life skills education
programmes that include specifi c skills to reduce
risk to HIV (such as how to use a condom or how to
refuse unwanted sex) and skills that reduce some of
the underlying structural drivers of HIV (such as gender
inequality or poverty) can address the socio-cultural
dynamics that create situations where young people
become vulnerable to infection. Numerous research
studies also show that sex education and HIV education
delivered through curriculum-based programmes can
be effective in improving young people’s knowledge,
skills and behavioural intentions.6 These programmes
can also delay the initiation of sex, decrease the number
of sexual partners and promote condom use among
the sexually active. In this context it is critical that SRHR
are promoted and upheld to address the increasing
feminisation of the epidemic, whereby women are
increasingly and disproportionately affected by AIDS.