Adolescence

What are the Development and Participation rights of adolescents?

The development needs of adolescents span a whole spectrum of rights from accessing basic education to adolescent friendly health services, responding to their special needs for acquiring life-skills and livelihoods in a safe and enabling environment.
Meaningful participation by adolescents and equal opportunities provided to both boys and girls is a fundamental pre-requisite for fulfilling the development rights of the adolescents.

Basic education: The reality of adolescents in many countries show that they are often deprived of access to formal schooling. In most cases they are engaged in work, where such access is difficult without recourse to alternatives like non-formal schooling or second chance education.

Adolescent friendly health services: Existing health services in most countries are not geared to meeting the special needs of adolescents.

Access to life-skills and livelihoods: Life-skills enable young people to acquire the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to manage their own lives with confidence and competence and make informed choices. Livelihood or vocational skills enable young people to achieve economic self-reliance and pursue future career options.

Enabling environment: where community, society and families understand and address the special needs of the adolescents and provide them with an environment free from violence, abuse, exploitation and discrimination.

Participation: to change the traditional mind-sets in society regarding young people and adolescents by ensuring that they are consulted on matters concerning their own lives and enabling them to contribute to the well-being of the society.

Broadening and strengthening the partnership : UNFPA, WHO & UNICEF

The Project has evolved now from the planning stage to the implementation stage. Recognizing their common interest and commitment in realizing the rights of adolescents, this phase is built on a close partnership between the three major UN agencies, UNFPA, WHO and UNICEF.

The project is enriched by the strength and experience of each partner agency and the collaboration between them helps the project to achieve a holistic perspective in addressing the rights of adolescents. In addition, technical agencies having vast experience in dealing with adolescent issues including research like the Population Council, Commonwealth of Youth Programme, International Centre for Research on Women are some key associates in this project.