The mission of the Section on Education and HIV and AIDS is to support countries to deliver good quality comprehensive education on HIV and the promotion of healthy lifestyles, particularly among children and young people in education settings.

The Section supports comprehensive education sector responses to HIV and AIDS, within a broader framework of school health and education on sexuality and reproductive health and rights. Our work builds upon a development approach and expanded links to other health promotion issues.

The skill base of staff in the Section includes expertise in education, health and development.  Its staff bring a mix of professional experiences to the Sector, Division and Section, in support of the Education Sector, and towards the achievement of Education for All and the Millennium Development Goals. 

The EDUCAIDS and Country Implementation team based at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris coordinates global support to country and regional offices' EDUCAIDS implementation efforts. They work closely with regional advisors, HIV & AIDS focal points and national programme officers to expand UNESCO"s engagement at the country and regional level. Capacity development and technical support are integral to the team's efforts to expand comprehensive education sector responses to HIV and AIDS.

The Partnerships and Communication team is responsible for communicating all of UNESCO's HIV and AIDS-related activities with the general public, member states and partner organisations. The team also convenes the UNAIDS Inter-Agency Task Team on Education, of which UNESCO serves as the Secretariat. In addition to coordinating semi-annual meetings and international symposia for the IATT, the Partnerships and Communication team oversees the planning and production of UNESCO's publications and guidance documents on HIV and AIDS, manages the web portal, e-newsletter and related list-servs, and provides internal leadership on bi- and multi-lateral initiatives in the global AIDS response.

The Programme and Technical Development team oversees UNESCO's programmatic guidance and technical publications, and provides leadership on Comprehensive Sexuality Education. The International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education and related projects, including the 2010 publication, Levers of Success, and 2011 follow-up study on the Costs and Cost-Effectiveness of Sexuality Education, were coordinated by the Programme and Technical Development team. Other key projects include the Good Policy and Practice thematic series on best policies and practices in HIV & AIDS and education.