Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, dear representatives from youth and community organizations

I am honoured to be here today commemorating World AIDS Day with you. It gives us the opportunity to remember and pay tribute to those, who have tragically lost their lives to AIDS. To honor those, like yourselves, who tirelessly work to prevent the further spread of HIV. And to support those, who are today living with the virus.

When the virus first appeared in the 80s, it was a death sentence - people died of AIDS. Thankfully, due to a tremendous effort within research and development of treatment and prevention, people now live with HIV. Normal lives. That is, if you live in a part of the world, where you have access to treatment. In other parts of the world, many others are not that fortunate.

Your chances of survival should not depend on where you are born, especially when we know what and how to ensure a life of quality while living with HIV.

When we talk about HIV and AIDS, we cannot just talk about a virus and a disease. We need to communicate and thereby, understand the nature of how the virus spreads - because it is not only infectious but, it can also be fatal if untreated.

We need to be more open, and honest and talk about how HIV spreads through un-protected sexual relations. We need to talk about how this makes HIV and AIDS part and parcel of sexual and reproductive health and rights. We need to talk about the right each and every one of us have to decide over our own body.

As with any subject related to intimacy and privacy, HIV and AIDS can be a somewhat difficult issue to talk about – and engaging the youth here, is no exception.  Which is a challenge me must overcome, as young people are disproportionately affected.

In the absence of a cure, prevention is critical to ending AIDS.  And knowledge is perhaps the best weapon of protection - knowing how the virus spreads and how you can protect yourself from the virus, knowing your HIV status, and knowing your rights and how to claim them.

So, who has the responsibility to inform young people about sexuality, reproduction and sexually transmitted diseases? Who has sufficient knowledge to provide sexuality education in a comprehensive, age-relevant in a sensitive manner? Who feels comfortable doing this and has the necessary communication skills?

I would suggest that we start the discussion elsewhere. By focusing on human rights. Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world, from birth until death. They apply regardless of where you are from, what you believe or how you choose to live your life.

When we protect and promote human rights, individuals become healthier and more resourceful; communities become more resilient; nations become more prosperous. The Sustainable Development Goals come into reach.

Protecting and promoting human rights therefore benefits us all. To attain them and to reach the sustainable development goals in just over a decade, we cannot afford to shy away from the more difficult issues related to sexual and reproductive health and rights. On the contrary, we need to tackle taboo, break the silence and accelerate action.

Because most HIV infections are sexually transmitted, reducing this mode of transmission is crucial. It requires age-appropriate and culturally sensitive comprehensive sexuality education to young men and women.  It requires access to the only effective barrier prevention method - condoms. And we need to ensure that necessary healthcare is made available to those affected by any disease – including HIV and AIDS.

If we look at HIV in a global context, the protection of human rights and HIV are intertwined and complex, in that violations of other human rights contribute to the HIV epidemic.

Such as when girls are forced to marry often an older man, they are less likely to be able to negotiate the use of condoms – rather they may be faced with an expectation to prove their fertility.

When the education of girls and young women is not prioritized and faced with poverty, they may find that their body is the last thing they have to sell in order to survive.

And then people are not free to be able to talk openly about their sexuality, then it may be more difficult to express that sexuality in a safe space, where protection is prioritized.

This means that the prevention of HIV cuts across sectors. It also means that ending HIV and AIDS begins with human rights, gender equality and addressing inequality. Accepting diversity – also when it comes to sexuality; and promoting equal opportunities for all.

Luckily, this is happening. Just a few weeks ago, in mid-November, I joined close to 7,000 other participants at the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25. With representation from more than 170 countries, the main focus of this meeting was on concrete commitments. Commitments from Governments, private sector, international and national NGOs and from academia to achieve universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights.

The energy at that conference – not least among the many, many youth participants – left me with a stronger feeling of optimism. It was an expression of confidence that we can enable women and girls to decide over their own bodies. It brought hope that we can enable all youth to protect themselves and each other – also against HIV and AIDS.

Please take that confidence and that hope with you, as we mark World AIDS Day, here, today.

Thank you.