Miss Universe 2015 and United Nations Program on HIV and AIDS Goodwill Ambassador Pia Wurtzbach-Jauncey joined youth ambassadors and speakers during this year’s Global Youth Summit.
The summit was held at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall on Aug. 11, 2023.
Launched by SM Cares and the Global Peace Foundation, the event gathered students and youth leaders from different parts of the Philippines to discuss social issues related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
During Wurtzbach’s talk, she said the youth are not adequately “equipped” to be protected from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), emphasizing that awareness is key to further its prevention in the Philippines.
“Knowledge of HIV remains to be very low and comprehensive sexual education is not yet mainstream in all learning institutions. Condom access has improved yet only a few use it consistently due to the low knowledge of its protective value,” she said.
Wurtzbach also said that HIV cases in the Philippines are alarming. While the number of cases is decreasing in other countries, data claims the opposite for the nation.
“The Philippines [still has] the fastest growing epidemic in Asia and the Pacific. From 2010 to 2022, there has been [a] 419% increase in new infections. The country leads among the six neighboring countries in Asia and the Pacific with [an] increasing trend in new infections against a global trend of decreasing new HIV infections,” she explained.
Among the speakers are environmental and sustainability advocate Rafael Dionisio, head of MILO Sports and Nestle Carlo Sampan, Global Peace Foundation Asia Pacific Regional Representative Ingill Ra and Angkas CEO George Royeca.
The Global Youth Summit is an annual event that aims to encourage the youth in being part of the solutions to various social problems.
“The Global Youth Summit was created to provide young people with a platform to learn about the social issues that affect both them and the world right now and ideate solutions through collaboration,” SM Cares Program Director for Children and Youth Royston Cabuñag said.
“The Global Youth Summit cultivates an environment where young minds can flourish, where dreams can be nurtured and where obstacles can be transformed into opportunities,” Global Peace Foundation Philippines Deputy Executive Director Leonard Faustino added.
The summit’s next legs will be held at SM CDO Downtown Premier on August 19, SM City Iloilo Southpoint on August 26, and at SM City Baguio on September 2.