Introduction Systematically review and update evidence on the effectiveness of HIV prevention interventions and make recommendations for evidence-based interventions to guide efforts to meet the goals of the Special Session on Ending AIDS at the United Nations General Assembly in 2016 - HLM2016. In the HLM 2016 political declaration, grave concern is expressed that adolescents and young people aged 15–24 represent more than a third of all new HIV infections among adults, with 2,000 HIV-infected young people per day.

Methods Recent evidence from the last 5 years (January 2011 to December 2016) on the effectiveness of prevention interventions in young people to reduce HIV risk behaviour and their outcomes and impacts among young people was evaluated using PubMed.

Results A total of 23 studies were included after screening about 413 citations. Community-based and youth-led interventions focused on peer dialogue have demonstrated clear evidence of a reduction in reported sexual risk behaviours. Interventions in health services have increased the use of services when they are accessible and more favourable to young people. In geographically defined communities, community-centred interventions and interventions have reduced reporting of at-risk sexual behaviours.

Conclusion HIV prevention among young people is a priority for the world. The most promising interventions need to be expanded now, with careful evaluation, exploring peer dialogue interventions to impact the incidence of HIV among adolescents and young people, especially young people and adolescents from key populations.