Overview
Adolescents and youth (10-24) are a priority in UNFPA’s mandate, and in all advocacy efforts and programmes worldwide. UNFPA has three decades of experience advocating for the rights and needs of young people, beginning with its pioneer work in population and family life education, and its support to youth-friendly services and youth centres. Through its history, UNFPA has worked in close collaboration with a broad range of UN partners, governmental, non-governmental organizations, including youth and youth serving NGOs, in mobilizing global commitment to young people’s realities and needs in the area of sexual and reproductive health. UNFPA has also supported youth participation and activism in the UN Conferences of the 1990s.
Human rights, gender equality and equity, and youth participation are the Fund’s core guiding principles in working with young people. Today, UNFPA recognizes that young people’s health, education, skills-building and overall development are of utmost global urgency for sustained socio-economic development. This is especially so in light of the complex challenges adolescents and youth face in virtually every part of the world; the levels of poverty and lack of opportunities that a great number of them live in; the large number of countries living in conflict situations; the HIV/AIDS epidemic affecting them at an alarming rate; the high rates of early and unwanted pregnancy that often limit young girls’ aspirations and choices; and the various forms of gender-based violence undermining millions of young women’s fundamental rights and lives. UNFPA is of the conviction that investing in young people’s development is the most strategic (and cost-effective) intervention for achieving all the global development goals, in particular the ICPD, Beijing, HIV/AIDS UNGASS, and the Millennium Development Goals. Young people’s human rights, security and well-being are central tenets in ensuring that their present as well as their future life becomes productive and fulfilling.
In 2007, UNFPA Philippine Country Office opened a new post which is specifically created for a young person. The Youth Advocate was hired with the intention to fully mainstream young people in programming in UNFPA through participating in decisions that affect their lives and expressing their views.
Following the discussions and recommendations agreed upon during its initial meeting in April 2004, the Global YAP was established and meetings are held each year. In October 2007, YAP Philippines started its formal operation. The establishment of the Youth Advisory Panel is part of UNFPA’s commitment to young people’s empowerment. The Panel’s contributions will assist the organization’s priority-setting in this core area of its mandate, and involve young people and youth-serving organizations in suggesting innovative approaches in the design of youth-friendly policies and programmes.
The UNFPA has also pioneered Y-PEER - a groundbreaking and comprehensive youth-to-youth initiative. It is a network of more than 500 non- profit organizations and governmental institutions. Its membership includes over 7000 young people from 38 countries who work in many areas surrounding adolescent reproductive health. The global network, which is constantly expanding, consists of country networks from Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia. The Middle East, North and East Africa, and most recently Brazil. Members of Y-PEER include young people who are active peer educators, trainers of trainers and youth advocates for adolescent sexual and reproductive health. These young people contribute to and benefit from the resource materials, tools, training programs and campaigns provided by the Y-PEER networks. The program is expanding to Asia and Pacific with Philippines as one of the pilot countries.
Finally, the UNFPA has partnered with the DepEd to implement the project on Adolescent Reproductive Health integration in the curriculum that aims to provide correct information on RH from elementary to secondary levels. To date, the implementation is focused in the ten pilot provinces and one city. In addition, another strategy is the establishment of Teen Wellness Center as a place to discuss freely the RH including FP, STI and HIV issues and concerns among the youth and as a source of information as well as provision of ARH services.
As a commitment to support youth development and empowerment, UNFPA opened its door to young people through different levels of participation. Youth participation isn’t limited to inviting them to attend events and capacity building opportunities. It goes up to the level of programming where their views are crucial in the determining the design and direction of the program, thus decision making becomes a shared responsibility.
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