African youths to meet in Kenya for HIV/AIDS talks

NAIROBI, Sept 18 (AFP) - More than 100 youths from across Africa will meet in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Saturday to discuss ways of tackling HIV/AIDS and the role of young people in overcoming the pandemic, the United Nations Chidren's Fund (UNICEF) said.

"The young people will meet Saturday to share their experiences, ideas and strategies for responding to HIV/AIDS and to reinforce their crucial role to overcoming the spiral of AIDS," UNICEF said in a statement sent to AFP on Thursday.

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The participants are to come from Burundi, Eritrea, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, southern Sudan, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

The meeting comes a day before the opening of the 13th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmited Infections (ICASA), to be held in Nairobi from September 21 to 26, which the youths are due to attend.

In many countries, 60 percent of new HIV infections are in the 16-24 age group, with girls accounting for more than two thirds of new infections among 15- to 19-year-old, UNICEF said.

"Alarmingly, the so-called "window of hope" is getting smaller and smaller, as surveys conducted in many countries with high HIV prevalence rates show that young boys and girls are already sexually active by the age of 15," the statement said.

UNICEF hopes the young people's presence at the conference will provide an opportunity to assess the realism of existing HIV/AIDS programmes, and show the need for greater youth involvement in elaborating a relevant and effective response to the pandemic.

A collection of young people's thoughts and reflections on HIV/AIDS, writen, drawn or embroidered, will be presented to the young girls and boys during the forum.

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