ICFP + Youth

There are over 1.8 billion young people in the world today, of which 90 percent live in developing countries and face enormous challenges to having a healthy and productive life. All facets of a young person’s life are directly and indirectly affected by the inaccessibility of high-quality family planning and comprehensive reproductive health services and commodities. From being denied autonomy and fundamental rights, to their abilities to pursue education, employment, and health and wellbeing, young people are continuously amongst the most marginalized. A myriad of environmental, cultural, structural and systemic issues are at the root of the lack of access and quality of health services available to youth, each of which hinges on the fact that youth are not adequately represented in decision-making bodies in family planning, sexual and reproductive health programs and services, commodities, and forms of delivery do not reflect their intersectional needs, rights, and the information and resources they require to make informed decisions about their health. Furthermore, youth leadership is not promoted widely within the family planning field, and this results in youth often receiving healthcare, training, and information that is not only stigma ridden, but also not comprehensive, of low and inconsistent quality, and delivered using outdated modes of communication. To address these problems and ensure a future where universal access to voluntary high-quality family planning and reproductive health care and services and information is available for all, youth MUST be engaged and included in AYSRH program and solution design and development processes, advocacy efforts, decision-making, and leadership.