>>Available in Word and PDF / Available in Spanish

Summary: The following speech about the HIV/AIDS pandemic's devastating impact on women was delivered by Stephen Lewis, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, at the Microbicides 2004 conference in London, on March 30, 2004. For more information about the conference, please visitwww.microbicides2004.org.uk (5 pages).

>>Available in Word and PDF

Introduction
Mongolia, located between China and Russia, is a country with a unique history and rich culture. As you can see from the map, our land territory is large, but the total population is only 2.4 million. Twenty-five percent are adolescents aged 10-19. Because our country was once part of the socialist system, we have a centralized public education system. Consequently, school enrollment is high, and the population is highly literate. But, as in many cultures, discussion of sexuality was taboo in Mongolia for centuries. With the collapse of the socialist system, Mongolia has been experiencing changes in its political, economic, social, and cultural structures.

>>Available in Word and PDF

Introduction
Listening to what my colleagues have just presented leaves no doubt in my mind that we have made gains in adolescents' sexual and reproductive rights. But a lot remains to be done. One thing that we cannot overlook is the right of young people to participate in all decision-making processes that relate to them.