Terms of Reference
Terms of Reference
Terms of Reference
(Draft)
INTRODUCTION
AIDS is one of the diseases that have to be combated as reflected in the Millennium Development Goals and is also being addressed in the Department of Health's Medium Term Development Plan. According to the November 2011 AIDS Registry published by the Department of Health, there were 212 new HIV Ab sero-positive individuals confirmed by the STD/AIDS Cooperative Central Laboratory (SACCL) and reported to the HIV and AIDS Registry. This was 89% higher compared to the same period last year (2010) with 112 cases. The 20-29 year (58%) age-group had the most number of cases. Too many young people in the Philippines are at risk for HIV infection. But despite young peoples vulnerability to HIV infection, their needs are often overlooked when national and local AIDS strategies are designed and implemented.
PURPOSE OF THE NATIONAL YOUNG PEOPLE PLANNING FORA
Started in the year 2008, the National Young Peoples Planning Forum (NYPPF) is an annual gathering of youth and young people from youth led and youth serving organizations in the Philippines advocating for the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS. Each forum expresses an untiring advocacy for the inclusion of young people (children and youth) as responsible active citizens in all the national, regional and global development processes along HIV and AIDS. The 1st National Young Peoples Planning Forum (1st NYPPF), with the theme Unleashing the Forces of Change, was conceived to institutionalize young peoples participation and to provide recommendations for the 2009 2010 Operational Plan relevant to the assessment of the 4th AIDS Medium Term Plan of the Government of the Philippines National AIDS Response. The overall aim was greater representation and substantive participation of a core group of children and young people who are
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affected by, most at risk and vulnerable to HIV who are directly involved in advocacy work. In the 2nd National Young Peoples Planning Forum (2nd NYPPF), with the theme Forces of Change: Make a Stake, the participants came up with recommendations which were made the basis for the forum statement that was presented during the closing ceremonies of the 3rd National Consensus and Consultation Meeting for the formulation of the 5th AIDS Medium Term Plan. The 2nd NYPPF also gave the participants an opportunity to gauge the status of efforts to reach young people; to look into the role of schools; and how best to reach out-of-school youth. The 3rd National Young Peoples Planning Forum (3rd NYPPF), with the theme Safeguarding our Rights, was goaled on the construction of a formal body based on composed of young Filipino leaders, advocates and activists on HIV/AIDS in the Philippines who will work for the protection of young Filipinos rights to live healthy lives free from HIV infection and HIV-related stigma and discrimination. It is the aim of the National Young Peoples Planning Forum to gather the expertise of the different youth-led and youth serving non-government organizations (NGOs) by consolidating their recommendations, plans and projects into a single working leg for the forward mobilization of HIV and AIDS related programs in relation to the Philippines children and young people population.
4 MAIN FUNTIONS OF THE NATIONAL YOUNG PEOPLES PLANNING FORA
Policy Advocacy
Government
Consultati on
1. Central Advisory Panel and Point of Coordination on HIV & AIDS The National Young Peoples Planning Forum on HIV/AIDS, being a gathering of youth and young people from youth led and youth serving organizations (where consultation for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Measures done, currently done and will be done happens), possess a high potential as a coordinating and advising body to all its members, international and private organizations, adult population, the government and the society at large. MEMBERS: Because of the sharing of experiences in the advocacy by the participants, members are able to discover HIV/AIDS prevention and control measures that may have not been implemented yet in their respective organizations and may see positive and negative possible outcomes of plans they are about to implement which are similar to the plans that have been implemented by other organizations already. They are also able to update themselves with the current measures done by the Department of Health, the Government, and the Commission of the Welfare of the Children (CWC) Committee of Child and HIV/AIDS (CCHA) having these 3 entities as sponsoring agencies of the forum. ADULT POPULATION: The adult population will highly understand the youth of their current trends and needs as the forum is participated by youth and young people who are empowered and freely express ideas and opinions with regards to their rights and the protection of it. INTERNATIONAL AND PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS: International and private organizations that have programs and projects in line with HIV/AIDS rendered to the Filipino people will be guided by the National Young Peoples Planning Forum through learning the immediate needs of the society which are expressed by the participants who work with them. International and private organizations will also have links, easy access and workforce in all parts of the country as the participants of the forum are well representing each region Luzon, NCR, Visayas, & Mindanao. GOVERNMENT: The government will be able to implement highly effective programs and projects for the youth in relation to HIV/AIDS with the help of the National Young Peoples Planning Forum because they will be able to realize through our participants the current and realistic status of the youth and young people as they may represent the whole sector in general and at the same time our participants work with them in the grassroots level. SOCIETY AT LARGE: With all coordination and advising that each of the abovementioned participants will do, the society at large will expect highly efficient and needs-addressing programs and projects from the represented organizations in the forum, the government, and international and private
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organizations that supports the National Young Peoples Planning Forum and its body.
Department of Health
CWC CCHA
UNICEF
NATIONAL BODY
NATIONAL FOCAL POINT NATIONAL FOCAL POINT NATIONAL FOCAL POINT
REGIONAL BODY
LUZON NCR VISAYAS
MINDANAO
2. Planning body Each National Young Peoples Planning Forum provides an avenue to the participants to plan for activities, projects and programs for HIV/AIDS that are highly efficient and are highly needed of the current times and are nationally accepted and participative to national strategies. With reference to the outputs of the 1st and 2nd National Young Peoples Planning Forum, the 3rd National Young Peoples Planning Forum have come up to the following measures in line with the HIV/AIDS National Framework of Action: 1) Implement effective age-appropriate HIV prevention interventions for children and young people, with a strong focus on children and young people most-at-risk of HIV infection in order to reduce sexual and injection-drug use transmission risk of HIV 2) Ensure the access of children and young people, particularly those living with HIV and affected by HIV to an agreed minimum set of appropriate services 3) Develop and implement policies that promote effective age-appropriate and gender-sensitive HIV responses that protect children and young people from all forms of abuse, exploitation and violence and increase their access to essential HIV-related health and other services, at all levels 4) Improve coordination mechanisms, capacity of child caring institutions and strategic information based on jointly agreed standards of quality for HIV prevention programming for children and young people, particularly those mostat-risk of HIV infection 5) Monitoring and Evaluation of HIV & AIDS program. 3. Policy advocacy group With the trust and respect of the Philippine National AIDS Council, the Department of Health and the Commission of the Welfare of the Children to the National Young Peoples Planning Forum, the NYPPF Body will be able to participate in the construct of policies and advocate for its efficient implementation for the benefit of the youth and the young people and that there needs should never be overlooked and should be taken cared of with high priority. 4. Funding mechanism to support youth projects on HIV & AIDS Being funded by various funding agencies and its Body being composed of various organizations with funding capacity, the National Young Peoples Planning Forum can be a source of fund for various youth projects on HIV/AIDS as it may be a linkage or coordination site for various entities who wish to implement so in the country.
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