AIDS 2018: Inside Prince Harry’s Plan to “Smash” the AIDS Stigma and Get More Men Testing for HIV

Prince Harry’s two-day visit to the Netherlands also saw him champion the voices of young representatives from all over the world through a unique series of discussions for Sentebale, the HIV/AIDs charity he co-founded with Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso in 2006 and named after his mother’s favorite flower (the name translates to “forget me not” in the language of Sesotho).

During a discussion for Sentebale’s advocacy program Let Youth Lead, the royal spoke about the importance of youth encouraging their peers to know and manage their HIV status and also drive positive change in HIV interventions that better support the needs of young people in Lesotho and Botswana in Africa. “The younger generation should not only have the solutions—they are the solution,” he said during a youth-led session with representatives from Sentebale, IAS Youth Ambassadors, and partner NGOs.

Harry also stressed the importance of putting youth at the forefront of the issue, explaining, “We have to put the power into the hands of the younger generation because that’s where the solutions are going to come from and that’s where the passion and engagement is coming from as well... The younger generation not only have the solutions, but have the capability to be able to solve these problems in a much shorter period.”

On his first day at the conference, the Duke also met privately with key influential leaders from health organizations and charities to discuss outcomes from the sessions and talk about necessary commitments to ensure needs are met. Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, was part of this meeting, later telling BAZAAR.com, “The fantastic work of Sentebale and the Duke of Sussex is vital to this end... We must work together to ensure that no one is left behind in the global response to HIV and in our journey toward sustainable development for all.” Read more via Harpers Bazaar