A/65/162 Moreover, it is clear that the existence of legislation does not mean that the educational programmes are actually implemented. 43. In the large majority of Latin American and Caribbean countries, the persons responsible for curriculum development are professionals in the fields of pedagogy, psychology and medicine, whereas those responsible for implementing policies on comprehensive sexual education are usually teachers. 45 The Ministries of Education and Health of many countries in this region have been very much involved. 44. In Europe, sexual education is compulsory in 19 countries and is not compulsory in six. The age when sexual education starts varies between 5 and 14. 46 Responsibility for the design and implementation of public policies on sexual education varies within the region. In some cases, the Ministry of Education is responsible, while in countries with a broader concept of sexual education several government agencies are involved in the process.46 In most cases, teachers are responsible for policy implementation. 45. The Special Rapporteur notes that in this region, the quality of education varies not so much from country to country as within each country. For this reason, the Ministries of Education and Health play a vital role in ensuring universal application of these policies. However, major shortcomings have been observed in teacher training, which tends to perpetuate stereotypical and even discriminatory ideas. This gap undermines teachers’ confidence in their ability to provide quality opportunities as regards comprehensive sexuality education. 46. According to a study by the International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP), 47 in East Asia most countries had sexual education policies, and many had had them since the early 1990s. Of the cases studied, the policies most widely implemented were those of Papua New Guinea, Mongolia, the Philippines and Thailand. In addition, since 2009, progress has been made in the implementation of public policies and national laws in several countries. 48 However, although some form of sexual education is provided in the region, most young people do not receive comprehensive sexual education.48 47. Although a number of countries in this region report HIV education policies, relatively few of them adopt a comprehensive approach since reference is rarely made to human rights, values, life skills and community participation.48 In addition, there are no links with strategic sectors, such as health, or with reference communities with a view to the design, implementation and evaluation of the policies pursued. __________________ 45 46 47 48 10-46213 Lisa M. Demaría, Omar Galárraga, Lourdes Campero, Dilys M. Walker, “Educación sobre sexualidad y prevención del VIH: un diagnóstico para América Latina y el Caribe”, in Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública, vol. 26, No. 6, 2009, pp. 485-493. The age is 5 in Portugal; 6 in Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Ireland and Sweden; 7 in the Czech Republic and Finland; and 9 in Germany. It is 10 in Austria, Estonia, Greece and Hungary; 11 in Iceland and Latvia; 12 in Denmark, Norway and Slovakia; and 13 in the Netherlands. International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific, organized by UNESCO, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and UNFPA. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, United Nations Children’s Fund and United Nations Population Fund, Enhancing HIV Prevention for Adolescents through Effective HIV and Sexuality Education, report of the special session, 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific, Bali, Indonesia, 2009. 13