WASHINGTON, D. C. --- More than 25,000 participants are expected to converge on Washington for the 19th International AIDS Conference. But in the relative calm before the storm of people, plenaries, panels and posters, 200 young leaders from around the world were sharpening their skills and bolstering their knowledge so as to become more effective advocates for rights-based responses to the epidemic.

The three-day pre-conference offers an opportunity for young delegates to connect with their peers, plan strategy and maximize their ability to navigate AIDS 2012 successfully. It also gives young people a chance to learn about the latest trends in the epidemic and examine youth-specific issues, challenges and needs.

Organized by YouthForce--a coalition of youth organizations from around the world—the pre-conference youth event has been an essential platform for young people since the Barcelona International AIDS Conference in 2000.

For the past decade , the YouthForce has been hailed as pivotal in keeping youth issues at the forefront of the international AIDS agenda, according to Aram Barra, the YouthForce chairperson in his opening remarks to the plenary. The coalition has become a powerful example of successful youth-led advocacy and engagement using innovative tactics tailored to changing demands, he said.

“Young people bring a fresh perspective to the HIV response, fueled by passion and creativity,” said Mimi Melles, pre-conference co-chair and Officer at Advocates for Youth. “We are innovators and change-makers, and without our meaningful involvement, we will never be able to achieve our targets of zero new infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths,” she added.

Indeed, young people continue to bear a significant burden of the epidemic. Every day 2,400 young people aged 15 to 24 are infected with HIV around the globe, which represents 40 per cent of all new infections among adults.

Aram also introduced a virtual a Declaration for Change platform can help youth organizations, networks and activists will collaborate and mobilize over the next years to reach the 2015 goals of the Political Declaration on AIDS.

Following the plenary, a panel of experts and activists presented information, ideas and strategies. Mary Otieno, Senior Technical Adviser for UNFPA provided an overview of trends and data specific to young people, as well as evidence-informed recommendations for action. Maya Koumanova of the International Planned Parenthood Federation discussed comprehensive sexuality education--including what this means and what constitutes comprehensive. Pablo Aguilera of dance4life spoke about the needs and possible actions of groups most affected by HIV and Kikelomo Taiwo of Education as a Vaccine and Advocates for Youth, described youth-led advocacy and organizing efforts in Nigeria to improve an anti-discrimination and stigmatization bill to protect the rights of young people living with HIV seeking to be admitted to universities.