A blueprint for the future

A blueprint for the future

Defining a strategy to leverage broader agendas for the well-being of adolescents in high-burden HIV settings

Background

Within the global HIV response, the adolescent HIV cascade continues to lag behind that of adults and in some cases, that of children. It is clear that without a cogent programme of action, the 2025 global target for adolescents within the HIV response will not be achieved.

Given its designation as a review year, 2023, offers a critical landmark – critical dialogues are planned to discuss the well-being of adolescents, including: the Adolescent 2030 Summit, the Universal Health Care (UHC) Summit 2030, and the Secretary-General’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Review. These processes present a perfect opportunity to consolidate successes, review what has been learnt, and articulate innovative pathways to better ensure that the world’s most vulnerable adolescents thrive.

A process is proposed to define a blueprint for how the HIV response might leverage galvanizing momentum within the broader agendas for the wellbeing of adolescents, with a focus on how this might be operationalized in high-burden HIV settings. Through a consultative process, future-forward programmatic guidance based on cutting-edge analysis, implementation experience, and substantive knowledge of the available body of evidence will be synthesized, to guide various global adolescent HIV stakeholders in planning, implementing and monitoring HIV programs for this target population.

Structure

The programme of work will be guided by a core team of the following organizations:

• Joint Programme Co-Sponsors: UNICEF, WHO, UNAIDS Key Implementers: EGPAF, Baylor Children’s Foundation,
• Key Implementers: EGPAF, Baylor Children’s Foundation, PATA, selected local implementers
• Funders and above-site technical partners: PEPFAR, Global Fund, CHAI
• Youth networks.

This group will meet regularly to review progress of the work.

Duration

Q1 2023 – Q4 2023

Approach

Priority countries will be defined through an assessment of the burden of need and/or gap estimation, supported by medium term (2030 and 2050 projections).

Three workstreams will define strategy, drawing upon insights on novel programme formats and approaches with the potential for impact at scale, enlisted from a core nexus of practitioner communities:

• Desk Review/Rapid Evidence Synthesis. Recent literature from the journal publications and conference proceedings will be synthesized into a prioritized menu for programmatic action
• Strategic Analysis. Survey data and data from routine programmatic sources will be utilized to capture an accurate picture of the integrated HIV cascade, programmatic levers, and structural drivers of import to adolescent wellbeing
• Crowdsourcing Programming Insights. Targeted focus group discussions and digital surveys will convene health workers, adolescents and young people and implementers to surface delivery nuances (the how) of importance to programming at scale

Outputs of these workstreams will support a framework for strategic visioning, using global megatrends and futures thinking as tools to develop foresights regarding the multiple possible future programming formats available to steer programme investments.

Consultations

This process will virtually engage Global and regional communities of practice focusing on HIV in adolescence:

• Adolescent HIV Service Delivery Working Group (ASDWG)
• Adolescent HIV Prevention Care and Treatment Implementation Science Alliance (AHISA)
• The Pediatric and Adolescent HIV Learning Collaborative (PAHLCA)
• Child Survival Working Group (CSWG)

Government (Ministry of Health) buy-in will be sought through the PAHLCA, which brings together MOH pediatric and adolescent HIV team leads and program managers. Meetings with Ministry of Health teams (program managers and adolescent HIV focal persons) across the 15 high burden countries will be held.

Virtual consultations with the youth networks will be instrumentalized through a partnership with one or two key networks.

Finally, adolescent HIV experts and adolescent HIV team leads for funder organizations will also be identified and engaged. Planned scientific meetings will be exploited in this regard, including the International AIDS Society conference, the International Workshop for HIV Pediatrics, ICASA and IPHASA.

Dependencies

1. AA-HA! 2.0 Guidance development
2. Adolescent wellbeing framework
3. COP 2023 Technical Considerations

Deliverables

The key products from this process include:

• The Blueprint (format to be defined by the stakeholders, and various tools in development)
• Journal Commentary
• A summary document of not more than 5 pages

Jurist Invitation