Norway and Roots of Health: Youth and community-led innovations in closing HIV prevention gap

Youthandcommunity-led innovations are emerging as vital solutions to close the Philippines' widening HIV prevention gap, according to speakers at a World AIDS Day forum hosted by the Royal Norwegian Embassy and Roots of Health, a Palawan-based NGO.

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Ambassador Christian Halaas Lyster with panelists and speakers at the December 1 World AIDS Day Forum, hosted by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Manila and Roots of Health

Despite progress in testing and treatment, prevention remains the weakest link in the national HIV response. Infections have surged by more than 550 percent since 2010, with 57 new cases reported daily—placing young Filipinos aged 15 to 23 at growing risk.

Norwegian Ambassador Christian Halaas Lyster emphasized that the challenge is systemic, not technological. "Behind these numbers are young people, students, workers, dreamers whose lives are shaped by silence and stigma," he said, pointing to moral judgment, limited reproductive health education, and hesitation to use condoms as barriers that continue to widen the prevention gap.

"These barriers are human-made, and they can be dismantled," the ambassador added.

Roots of Health Executive Director Amina Evangelista Swanepoel underscored the need to normalize conversations about sex and relationships. "Prevention requires honest conversations about sex, and that's where we still struggle as a country," she said.

"Young people deserve accurate information, accessible prevention tools, and adults who can speak to them without judgment."