A workshop to validate the National Strategic Plan for HIV Prevention took place in Yaounde on Thursday.

Even though the rate of HIV infection has reduced from 5.5 percent to 4.3 per cent in the country, according to recent demographic studies, the youth continue to be more exposed to the killer disease. The rate of infection for the youths between 15 to 24 years is estimated at 13.4 per cent and is even higher among girls. It is in this light that a one-day workshop to validate the National Strategic Plan for HIV Prevention for Youths and Adolescents took place in Yaounde yesterday September 27, 2012.

Speaking during the opening, the Minister of Youth Affairs and Civic Education, Dr. Bidoung Mkpatt said the national strategic plan will enable the government have more visibility in its action, harmonise activities of partners and facilitate mobilisation of contributions of national and international partners in the sector. He called on participants to work with conviviality, serenity and rigour in order to meet set objectives.

The objective of the plan is also to give a better orientation on the new tools in view of increasing synergies between different partners in the domain of prevention of HIV/AIDS among youths. The national strategic plan lays an important ground work for planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of HIV prevention interventions among adolescents and youths in Cameroon. The plan was conceived by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Civic Education in collaboration with the National AIDS Control Committee and UNICEF. Organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Civic education, the workshop brought together participants from across the country.