By Joshua Mirondo, Transition Earth.

Josh Mirondo, second from right, at the AYSRHR conference.

The world’s population of youth (ages 15–24) is the largest in history, with more than 1.2 billion falling into this category of young people. Almost a billion of these young people live in developing countries. The number of youth is projected to increase 62 percent in the economically poorest countries by 2050, rising most rapidly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Meeting their needs for reproductive health and rights, amongst many other things, is critical.

Last month in Mombasa, Kenya, the 7th Reproductive Health Network Kenya (RHNK) Scientific Conference took place, addressing the importance of youth rights. It focused on “Priorities for Advancing Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (AYSRHR) in Africa”.

The conference is an annual event that brings together government officials, civil society, academia, the private sector, faith-based organizations, grass roots organizations and other partners who are interested in the pursuit of sexual and reproductive health and rights across the region. They share experiences and best practices in advancing access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information and services. The conference also provides a platform for stakeholders to network and engage with donor organizations.

During the opening ceremony, Lori Adelman, Executive Director at Planned Parenthood Global, said that the theme of this year’s conference resonates deeply since Africa is the fastest growing continent. So this is timely and every person should be able to take charge of their reproductive health and plan when to have a child. “I think we need to integrate climate change and reproductive health. As a mother, I want to raise my son in a world that is not affected by adverse effects climate change,” she added.

I participated actively in this high-profile event, alongside various partners, that gathered around 700 delegates from across the continent. I was part of the conveners of a booth  discussion that centered around how international collaborations can significantly enhance youth-led Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) initiatives, leveraging diverse perspectives, resources, and networks to create more impactful and sustainable programs. A need for greater collaboration and partnership has stood out as an important tool for responding to young people’s SRHR. It goes beyond the institutional level to working with young people and other stakeholders.

Dr. Jean Patrick from Ministry of Health Kenya stressed that “Most of the girls who get pregnant as teenagers are in early marriages. We need to have programmes for these girls so that they can be able to go back to school. The government has established the return to school policy that allows girls and boys to go back to school. This includes those that have been pregnant and in rehabilitation.”

In Africa, it is unusual to have young people be given spaces to speak of their lived realities; this conference provided an opportunity for many of them to share their concerns. Young people were also encouraged to believe in themselves, participate and not feel intimidated.

The empowerment of youth is key to a better world.

Joshua Mirondo is a program associate with Transition Earth, based in Uganda.