Youth reproductive health (YRH) policies are a critical component of national efforts to improve young people's reproductive health because they contribute to creating an enabling environment to improve young people's access to quality information and services.

What makes a good youth reproductive health policy?

In order to examine YRH policies, it is helpful to organize policies into key elements which support improved youth reproductive health.  These include (but are not limited to): encouraging healthy, wanted pregnancy; preventing STI/HIV infection; improving nutritional status; reducing harmful cultural practices; reducing human trafficking and sexual abuse/coercion; and stimulating economic development and reducing poverty.  

It is also important for YRH policies to incorporate policy language which cuts across key elements and the different dimensions (i.e. level, sector, type, and authorship) of good YRH policy. Guiding principles with specific relevance to YRH policy include: acknowledge gender differences; segment the youth population by age and life stage; acknowledge the needs of marginalized sub-populations; promote youth involvement; respect culture; treat youth as assets, not problems; promote access to information and care; be consistent; and reinforce the interconnectedness of YRH.

For more information on key elements or guiding principles, visit www.youth-policy.com.

YouthNet aims to promote youth-friendly RH and HIV/AIDS policies throughout the world in two ways. 

1.  YouthNet provides information and tools to enhance understanding of existing youth RH and HIV/AIDS policies and to provide guidance in formulating new policies and implementing existing policies. Activities include:

• Development of www.youth-policy.com, an online resource for improving youth RH and HIV/AIDS policy worldwide. The Web site, developed in partnership with the POLICY Project, contains a searchable database of more than 100 policies addressing youth RH and HIV/AIDS, as well as guidance on key RH elements and principles, fact sheets, and a collection of existing tools and links.  For more information on the youth-policy.com Web site, please refer to the following:

PowerPoint presentation

Evaluation report

Consultation meeting report

2.  YouthNet provides short-term technical assistance and capacity building on issues related to youth RH and HIV/AIDS policies at the regional and country level.  Activities include:

• YouthNet provided technical and financial support to ensure the integration of YRH, HIV prevention, and youth participation at the XII Conference of First Ladies, Wives, and Representatives of Heads of State and Government of the Americas, in October 2003 in the Dominican Republic. In response to conference proceedings, YouthNet and its partners are providing technical and financial support to the Ministry of Health of Nicaragua to develop a national youth reproductive health strategy.
• In May 2004, in partnership with the POLICY Project and other partners, YouthNet organized and conducted a YRH policy and program planning regional workshop in Tanzania for country teams from Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Follow-up activities focus on providing technical support and modest financial support to the country teams for implementation of the plans of action developed at the workshop. To date, country specific follow-up activities include:
  • In Namibia, an effort to support the implementation of the National Reproductive Health Policy. YouthNet and its partners work together to integrate and strengthen reproductive health and HIV/AIDS education in youth vocational training centers (VTCs). This project includes a situational analysis to identify how youth RH was being addressed and to identify the needs of trainees, a workshop to share and discuss findings, and the development of a draft plan of action in close collaboration with the Ministry of Education.
  • In Zambia, in line with several existing policies, including the Zambia RH Policy and HIV/STI Policy, YouthNet works closely with The Zambia Interfaith Networking Group on HIV/AIDS (ZINGO) to develop concrete guidelines  for faith leaders and faith-based organizations (FBOs) in the Islamic, Baha'i, and Christian faith groups. These guidelines will serve as a guide to faith leaders and FBOs to increase young people's access to RH information and services. This project will be implemented in two phases; first, a situational analysis of youth RH needs and faith leader/FBO efforts to promote RH information and services, as well as a consensus building meeting which will result in the development three draft guidelines. The second phase will focus on advocacy, support building, and resource mobilization, as well as plans to operationalize the guidelines and establish plans of action.
  • In Uganda, YouthNet works closely through CARE International and its project partners in implementing the Promoting Safer Choices for Adolescents (ProScad) project. Select partners of the ProScad project work on laws, policies, and practices to improve RH and access to RH services. Related activities include the documentation of local practices, policies, and laws in order to develop a set of recommendations, which will incorporate inputs from local community leaders and the public sector partners; additionally, it will lead to an operational plan of action. YouthNet provides technical support mostly in the monitoring and evaluation of these activities.

Additional Resources

1. Additional resources on adolescent reproductive health and HIV/AIDS, including a searchable database of YRH and HIV/AIDS policies, as well as other related resource materials can be found at www.youth-policy.com.
2. Papers. tools, and case studies are also available.