This year's World AIDS Day theme, 'Overcoming Disruptions, Transforming AIDS Response', underscores the importance of continuing to strengthen HIV responses in Nepal and around the world. As part of this response, condom promotion and distribution continue to be central to Nepal's HIV prevention strategy. Today, as we commemorate this global day, we would like to reiterate a simple but essential truth: condoms save lives. This simple, ingenious invention remains one of our most effective tools for preventing HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and unintended pregnancies. Condoms empower individuals and families to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health and are integral to Nepal's goal of achieving zero unmet need for family planning by 2030. Nepal's HIV response has achieved remarkable progress. New infections and deaths have dropped by 76 percent since 2010. Uptake, retention, adherence, and viral suppression rates for antiretroviral therapy have all improved. Mother-to-child transmission is declining. Community-led prevention efforts are thriving. Nepal is performing above regional and global averages in the attainment of the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets. Condoms are a key part of this success. This progress must now bridge across generations. Every new generation is vital to sustaining this response and preventing new infections. As young people begin to explore relationships and sexual behavior, they must be fully aware of the risks involved and how effectively a condom can reduce these risks. While Nepal has made significant progress in health and HIV outcomes, gaps remain in awareness and behavior related to sexual and reproductive health, especially among young people. Renewed attention is needed to address emerging trends among adolescents and vulnerable communities. At a time when HIV programmes face multiple disruptions, increasing condom use among adolescents remains central to Nepal's commitment to reducing new HIV infections as part of the national HIV response led by the National Center for AIDS and STD Control. This approach aligns with Nepal's HIV continuum of care efforts, ensuring prevention, testing, treatment, and viral suppression. Strengthening behavior change interventions and HIV literacy among young people will help improve HIV testing uptake, increase antiretroviral therapy coverage, and support more people in achieving viral suppression. Why the need for action now? Challenges, however, persist, and key gaps limit the ability of adolescent girls and boys to negotiate risks and make safe choices. As a result, poorer socio-economic and marginalized groups continue to face barriers to protection. According to the Demographic Health Survey, 14 percent of women aged 15 to 19 have already been pregnant. By age 19 this rises to 32 percent. These patterns are heavily influenced by poverty and educational levels. An estimated 20 percent of girls aged 15 to 19 who have only basic education experience pregnancy, compared to 8.2 percent of girls who have completed secondary education. Adolescents from the lowest wealth quintiles face significantly higher rates of teenage pregnancy, highlighting the intersection of inequality and vulnerability. These risks extend beyond pregnancy. Early sexual intercourse increases the likelihood of contracting sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 report the highest rates of STI-related symptoms in Nepal, with 28.2 percent reporting abnormal genital discharge and 29.9 percent reporting sores or ulcers. These trends suggest many adolescents are not protecting themselves and lack adequate information about the risks. They also reflect limitations in access to adolescent-friendly HIV testing and prevention services, both critical to an effective HIV response. This does not only affect wider health outcomes. On an individual level, an unintended pregnancy can transform the trajectory of a young girl's life, compromising her education, aspirations, and economic opportunities. Sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, can lead to lifelong health complications, stigma, and social exclusion. We need to continue to challenge the taboos Research shows that social taboos, myths, and embarrassment remain significant barriers to young people using condoms. Despite being one of the simplest and most effective forms of protection, stigma around condoms continues to cause harm. Young people who lack stigma-free access to HIV information, condoms, and testing services are more vulnerable to unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Recognizing adolescence as a period of curiosity, learning, exploration, and identity formation is essential. Supporting young people in making healthy choices requires that society moves past negative attitudes about condoms and reframes them as tools that help young people take responsibility and stay healthy. Education is crucial Breaking stigma alone is not enough; young people also need accurate, age-appropriate information. Evidence shows that strong connections with families, schools, and communities play a protective role during adolescence. Schools are especially important in shaping safe behavior and providing structured spaces for learning. In Nepal, age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education from grades 4 to 12 strengthens resilience, increases knowledge, and promotes safer behavior. Significant gaps, however, remain. Sexuality education is not yet compulsory for grades 9 to 12 and remains fragmented across subjects for grades 4 to 8. Strengthening age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education in the curriculum, ensuring it has a strong identity, and expanding models like the school nurse programme can greatly improve young people's access to timely information and counselling. A final message to younger generations On this World AIDS Day, we want to share a simple but powerful message with young people across Nepal: do not take a chance, do not take a risk, and use a condom. It will protect you, safeguard your future, and support your right to bodily autonomy and healthy sexual development. While progress has been made, much more is needed to ensure that new generations are protected from the risks of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Condoms remain a cost-effective and high-impact solution. They offer dual protection, preventing both unintended pregnancies and HIV, as well as other sexually transmitted infections. Their low cost and proven effectiveness make them indispensable. In 2024, UNFPA supplied 12.7 million condoms free of cost as part of Nepal's family planning programme. But availability is only the first step. Young people need clear, age-appropriate information and stigma-free access to condoms. This requires ongoing engagement from families, schools, communities, and the wider health system. Together, we can ensure that every young person in Nepal grows up safe, informed, confident, and fully empowered to build a healthier future. This message echoes the global call to action for World AIDS Day and reaffirms Nepal's commitment to ensuring that no young person is left behind in HIV prevention efforts. If we sustain this commitment, we can build a Nepal where every young person not only survives but thrives, and where the goal of an AIDS-free generation becomes not just an aspiration but a shared national achievement. Sharma is the Director of the National Center for AIDS and STD Control at the Ministry of Health and Population, and Haridass is the Acting Country Representative of UNFPA Nepal.