A Strategic Opportunity for Prevention
Myanmar has made important progress in responding to HIV over recent decades, supported by strong national leadership, partnerships, and community engagement. As the country enters implementation of the National Strategic Plan on HIV (2026–2030), there is a valuable opportunity to further strengthen prevention approaches that can sustain and accelerate these gains.
A central priority emerging from this phase is the need to reach adolescents and young people more effectively, including those who are not fully engaged in formal education systems. Ensuring that young people have access to accurate, age-appropriate information is critical to achieving long-term prevention outcomes and national targets.
The Role of Comprehensive Sexuality Education
Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) provides a structured, evidence-informed approach that equips young people with knowledge, life skills, and confidence to make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing.
In addition, CSE promotes gender equality, respectful relationships, and safe engagement between individuals, supporting young people to navigate social and cultural environments with confidence and responsibility.
During national consultations for the current strategic plan, stakeholders emphasized the importance of including CSE as part of broader prevention services and community-based approaches.
At the same time, implementation experience indicates that CSE remains in a phase of progressive development, with opportunities to further strengthen its integration, scale, and consistency across different settings. This reflects a natural evolution of programming, as new approaches are tested and expanded within Myanmar’s context.
Learning from Community and Youth Engagement
Experiences from community-led initiatives demonstrate how CSE can be delivered effectively in diverse environments.
In townships such as Hlaing Tharyar and Shwe Pyi Thar, where many young people are engaged in non-formal education or informal livelihoods, structured access to sexuality education is often limited.
Through peer-led sessions and facilitated group discussions, young people have shown strong interest in engaging with topics related to health, relationships, and future planning.
As one young participant shared:
“Before these sessions, I was not sure where to learn about these topics. Now I feel more confident to understand and make decisions for myself.”
These experiences highlight an important point: When appropriate and safe learning spaces are available, young people engage actively and constructively.
Building on Existing Strengths
Myanmar’s HIV response already benefits from key strengths that support the further development of CSE:
- Established community networks and grassroots platforms
- Active youth participation through peer educators
- Expanding outreach through both in-person and digital approaches
- Strong alignment with national priorities on prevention and community engagement
These strengths provide a solid foundation to advance toward more systematic and scalable approaches.
Technical Approaches Aligned with Global and National Contexts
Myanmar Positive Group-MPG, through its My Friend Program and youth networks, has contributed to the development and implementation of youth-centered CSE approaches aligned with internationally recognized frameworks, including those promoted by UNESCO.
MPG has applied a Myanmar-adapted CSE training package, designed to reflect the realities of adolescents and young people across different contexts, including non-formal education settings and community environments.
This approach combines:
- Technically structured, evidence-based content
- Culturally responsive and age-appropriate delivery
- Peer-led facilitation ensuring trust and accessibility
By bridging global standards and local context, this model ensures that CSE is not only technically sound, but also relevant and acceptable to diverse youth populations, while reinforcing positive values such as inclusion, equality, and mutual respect.
Building on these experiences, there is a clear opportunity to further strengthen and scale quality-assured, locally adapted CSE modelswithin the NSP implementation framework.
Towards Greater Integration and Coordination
As Myanmar advances NSP implementation, strengthening coordination across sectors remains a key opportunity.
This includes enhancing linkages between Community-led initiatives, Education and non-formal learning systems, and Youth development structures at national and sub-national levels.
Strengthening these connections can support Expanded reach to underserved adolescents, Greater consistency in messaging and service delivery and Sustainable integration into existing systems.
In this context, engagement between youth networks and relevant government sectors, including youth and social development institutions, is increasingly important to enable scale and long-term impact.
A Shared Forward Path
The current moment presents an opportunity to further align efforts and build on existing achievements.
Continued collaboration among government institutions, community organizations, development partners, and youth networks can contribute to:
- Strengthening the role of CSE within prevention programming
- Expanding access for adolescents in diverse settings
- Connecting community initiatives with institutional systems for sustainability
Conclusion
Myanmar’s HIV response has consistently demonstrated resilience, adaptability, and strong partnership.
As the response moves forward, strengthening Comprehensive Sexuality Education provides a practical and forward-looking pathway to support the development of healthier, informed, and empowered young people.
By equipping adolescents with knowledge, life skills, and values that promote gender equality, respectful relationships, and responsible decision-making, CSE contributes not only to individual wellbeing but also to the broader social environment.
Investing in young people today supports the foundation of safer, more inclusive, and resilient communities, where individuals are better able to make informed choices and contribute positively to society.
With continued coordination, technical alignment, and engagement across sectors, CSE can play an important role in strengthening prevention efforts while supporting Myanmar’s vision of a healthier youth generation and safer communities for the future.
