According to UNAIDS, young people aged 10 to 24 years old number about 1.8 billion – almost 25% of the world’s population. Young people (aged 10-24), particularly young women, are often highly vulnerable to both HIV and unintended pregnancy.

• The number of adolescents dying of AIDS-related illnesses tripled between 2000 and 2015.
• Young women have less access to contraceptives than women over age 30: 22% versus 60%.
• AIDS is currently the leading cause of death among young people in Africa and the second leading cause of death among young people worldwide.
• Young women are more than twice as likely to acquire HIV as young men, and have represented 67% of new infections among adolescents every year since 2010.

Youth needs are different from the needs of other populations and hence youth-friendly services are integral to providing treatment as well as spreading awareness. They can also serve as a channel for access to FP and sexual and reproductive health. This integration of FP and sexual and reproductive health and rights with youth-friendly services is crucial to tackling HIV.

This section of the Toolkit is divided into 4 sections:

1. Behavior change communication
2. Data and evidence
3. Program design, Implementation, and M & E
4. Training and clinical quality

The information and resources available in this section of the Toolkit will be useful to policy-makers and practitioners in designing and implementing policies and practices that have a youth-friendly lens coupled with FP/sexual and reproductive health and rights (FP/SRHR) to address HIV/AIDS.