Our Response
UNICEF supports the government in the design and implementation of programmes for adolescents in schools and youth centres. We support efforts to inform young people about the dangers of high-risk behaviour, including HIV/AIDS, with a special focus on those most at risk, such as IDPs and refugees and other impoverished and marginalized groups. Our main strategy is empowerment and participation of young people and our collaboration with young people's organizations aims to promote active participation. We are committed to increasing media activities by, with and for children. And we support projects that allow young people to highlight the problems they face, to propose solutions and prepare them for a society where freedom of speech and thought prevails. In Azerbaijan, our current priorities are: - Ensuring the meaningful participation of young people in decision making and direct implementation in the issues related to them through capacity building and empowerment of young people, health staff and teachers on young people's issues. Our main partners are: the Ministries of Education, Health, Youth, Sport and Tourism, Internews Public Association and media and youth organisations in Azerbaijan. Action on HIV/AIDS: In Azerbaijan, UNICEF is focusing on prevention because knowledge about HIV/AIDS and its prevention is weak. Only one third of 10-18-year olds know about HIV/AIDS and slightly more than the two thirds of young people aged 19-24 years believe that the disease can be prevented. Action on Youth Participation: In order to build the capacities of adolescents in leadership, life skills and healthy lifestyles, UNICEF supports 24 Youth Resource Centers (YRC) where boys and girls are provided with information about health, including HIV/AIDS. Youth Councils were set up in the pilot districts with Youth Resource Centers. Youth Councils in Masalli, Celilabad, Lenkaran, Neftcala, Gence & Baku joined Youth Millennium Project and “Child to Child Peace Network”. Activities covered by the Youth Resource Centers are: - Healthy lifestyle and life skills training through peer education. Action on Youth-Friendly Clinics (YFC): Set up in Baku and five other cities throughout the country (Masalli, Lenkaran, Neftcala, Mingecevir and Sumgayit) focus on: - Preventive services counseling, including phone counseling Action on Youth Media: UNICEF continued supporting the regional youth media project Kids’ Crossroads, aimed at strengthening the rights, role and voice of children and adolescents in the opinion-making process and also aims to instill values and good decision making among the participants by raising issues of youth participation, rights and tolerance. UNICEF also supports regular trainings for children and youth on print and broadcast media with a special emphasis on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as an integral part of the training process.
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