Shaping a future where #YouthDecides: Looking back at SheDecides’ joint efforts to advance youth SRHR in 2024
20th December 2024
There are 1.8 billion young people in the world right now, the largest generation of young people in history. That's why investing in young people’s and adolescent’s sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) is critical to building a better, healthier, equal future for all, where no one is left behind.
As an intergenerational movement, SheDecides is committed to listening to and learning from young people, fostering meaningful youth engagement and ensuring youth leadership in the process. This year, SheDecides inaugurated a youth advisory panel. The panel, made up of dedicated youth leaders within the movement, guided and shaped SheDecides work on youth SRHR throughout 2024.
WHY FOCUS ON YOUTH SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS?
Elevating youth voices and leadership is crucial in today’s challenging landscape. It is clear that young people - both individually and collectively - are increasingly on the frontlines of attacks on their rights, safety, and ability to live fulfilling lives.
Youth-led movements and organizations often face substantial funding cuts and lack the investments they need to effectively operate.
At the same time, anti-choice groups actively target and attack these alliances and the individuals behind them. Coupled with the stigma that young people - in all their diversity- face for simply being themselves and navigating the world around them, they face countless unique and converging challenges.
Despite the odds being stacked against them, young people remain vital catalysts behind the incredible progress that is being made across the globe. Their fundraising efforts and collaboration with funders help secure investments for youth SRHR programmes and services. Young people advocate to policymakers, and where possible collaborate with them, to integrate policies that work for young people and their needs. They continue to lead organizations and movements working to guarantee human rights and uphold people’s well-being – for all generations. Young people are vital changemakers within their communities as their engagement and leadership continues to be instrumental in building more inclusive and sustainable societies, ready to meet future challenges.
“We all know that young people are really capable. It’s a matter of showing and building their capacity so that they can take action in an effective and sustainable way.”
– Diana Keza (right), head of Capacity Building at AfriYAN Rwanda, a Plan International youth advocate and a member of SheDecides Youth Advisory Panel. Read more of her reflections on the state of SRHR for young people in Rwanda here.
Read here how youth activist Méola Yahouedeou and the She Makes Her Safe Choice programme are breaking the taboo on abortion in Benin.
2024: KEEPING YOUTH SRHR ON THE POLITICAL AGENDA
Over the past year, SheDecides has focused on keeping youth SRHR on the global political agenda. Earlier in the year, ICPD+30 marked a key moment to spotlight the impact and importance of youth SRHR. On the sidelines of the ICPD30 Global Youth Dialogue in Benin, SheDecides hosted a #YouthDecides high-level reception showcasing the power of youth activism in creating change, in partnership with SheDecides Champion, The Government of the Kingdom of The Netherlands.
Furthermore, during two zine-making workshops young people were invited to share their hopes and visions for the future of youth SRHR. Their reflections formed the SheDecides Youth SRHR zine which was launched in CPD in New York, and creatively captured youth recommendations – including on how to put young people at the centre of SRHR services.
Read the full zine here.
Watch SheDecides’ engagement at the Global Youth Dialogue here.
BUILDING A UNITED VOICE FOR YOUTH SRHR
As an intergenerational movement, SheDecides has continued to showcase the existing political support for youth SRHR and its vital role in achieving gender equality and health for all.
In a public statement, 60 SheDecides champions, including twelve governments, called for global solidarity and greater investments to support young people’s SRHR. The statement was launched at CPD in New York, and showcased the political support for youth SRHR at a time of political pushback.
Over the past year, SheDecides has amplified the voices and demands of youth-led movements to advance young people’s SRHR. The call for increased support and resources to improve access to safe abortion services and information was strong – particularly against the backdrop of regional and global challenges, such as anticipated setbacks in SRHR following the U.S. elections. At this year’s Global Safe Abortion Dialogue, SheDecides joined nearly 500 key actors from 76 countries and co-hosted a session spotlighting young leaders championing safe abortion around the world.
As part of the SheDecides’ rally for abortion rights on the sidelines of the annual United Nations General Assembly, youth leader Johanna Gonzalez from Red de Jóvenes por el Derecho al Aborto en Latinoamérica y el Caribe shared the hard realities young people face in accessing care:
“Young people face many obstacles in accessing our sexual and reproductive rights, especially the right to abortion. The data is compelling: women and pregnant people between the ages of 18 and 30 are the most criminalised for abortion-related offences”.
– Johanna speaking at the SheDecides’ abortion rights rally in New York.
LOOKING FORWARD: UPHOLDING OUR COMMITMENT TO ADVANCING YOUTH SRHR
In the year ahead, advancing youth SRHR will continue to be a priority in SheDecides’ work as we build on and add to the impactful efforts led by young people and other key actors.
With 2030 fast approaching, the global commitments made by governments to advance gender equality, education and health face significant risks of not being met- leaving young people behind in the process. This is why SheDecides remains committed to scaling up our efforts and calling on donors, policymakers and civil society organizations to join us in ensuring that youth SRHR remains a priority and is upheld in the year to come – and beyond!