26th International AIDS Conference 2026 in Rio de Janeiro
Contribution by Julia, activist

Among the many exciting encounters at the World AIDS Conference in Rio de Janeiro, I was particularly impressed by the organisation LetsStopAIDS. It was founded in 2004 by Shamin Mohamed Jr., who was just 15 at the time. He noticed that topics such as sexual health and HIV were hardly ever discussed at his school – even though they were on the minds of many young people. Instead of simply accepting this, he set up an organisation together with his peers. Even when his idea was initially met with scepticism, he did not let himself be discouraged.

Today, LetsStopAIDS is Canada’s largest youth-led HIV organisation and is active in more than 20 countries with thousands of volunteers. The focus is not only on education and prevention, but above all on the belief that young people themselves can be the driving force in the fight against HIV. The organisation creates spaces where everyone is welcome – regardless of gender, sexual orientation, religion or HIV status – and impressively demonstrates just how much change is possible when young people take responsibility and use their voices.

Particularly in light of the conference motto ‘Rethink, Rebuild and Rise’, LetsStopAIDS is, for me, an inspiring example of how the next generation is actively shaping the global HIV discourse. It is encouraging to see how a 15-year-old’s idea has grown into a global movement that shows that change often begins precisely where young people have the courage to speak out.