AstraZeneca Young Health Programme and UNICEF expand partnership to advance health equity in Belize

Belize City, BELIZE, 23 September 2006 – AstraZeneca today announced a total investment of more than US$100 million in its Young Health Programme (YHP) between 2010 and 2030, supporting its commitment to advancing health equity in more than 60 countries. In Belize, the investment will support the next phase of AstraZeneca’s Young Health Programme’s partnership with UNICEF to Promote healthy lifestyles and environments with and for young people, helping young people and adolescents prevent non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and take action on the growing health impacts of climate change.

The programme, which supports young people in underserved communities, is committed to advancing health equity by activating young people to help prevent NCDs and help them advocate for healthier environments and policies. The next phase of the YHP aims to reach an additional 10 million young people, train 800,000 youth advocates and help shape 17 public policies worldwide by 2030.

In Belize, AstraZeneca’s Yong Health Programme and UNICEF have partnered since 2020 to support young people through awareness raising interventions, empowerment to take part in youth-led action related to health and policy actions that advance adolescent health and NCD prevention at national or sub-national level. To date, the programme has reached over 50,000 young people, trained 150 youth advocates and development of Belize Adolescent Health National Strategic Plan.  Through the next phase of the programme, the partnership aims to enhance access to integrated adolescent responsive health services in health facilities, schools and community and youth centres helping more young people build healthier futures for themselves and their communities. 

This new five-year phase of the YHP builds on 15 years of impact. During that time, the programme directly reached 23 million young people across more than 60 countries. It helped train more than 1 million people and supported youth advocates to positively shape 29 laws and policies. Research by RTI International found that the YHP generates $4.30 in social return on investment for every $1 invested, reinforcing the long-term value of investing early in adolescent health.

The commitment comes at a time of growing urgency in global health. In Belize, access to adolescent and youth friendly health services continues to create barriers to health equity for young people. NCDs are the leading cause of death worldwide, and 70% of premature adult deaths are linked to behaviours that begin in adolescence. By 2050, a staggering 86% of all annual deaths are expected to be caused by NCDs, representing a 90% increase from 2019 levels. Through the YHP, AstraZeneca and UNICEF Belize are helping address these challenges by improving access to adolescent and youth friendly services in health facilities, schools and community/youth centres.

Sajid Ali, UNICEF Representative for Belize, said: “Every adolescent and young person has the right to equitable access to quality health information and services, as well as a meaningful voice in the decisions that affect their wellbeing. Through our partnership with AstraZeneca's Young Health Programme, UNICEF is supporting young people in Belize to participate at both service and policy levels, helping to shape more responsive health systems and creating opportunities for all adolescents to thrive.”

Seventeen-year-old Alysa, a Young Health Programme Advocate, recounts her experiences with the program.  She shared, “this program gives me the opportunity to share some of the health issues that are affecting me and my peers… and finding out what are the health issues from the perspective of the youths is something very important and I am excited to be a part.”

Through partnering with UNICEF and a wider global network of more than 60 non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including One Young World and YHP founding partner Plan International, the YHP will support young people to build healthier habits, strengthen the environments and services that shape their health, and advocate for policy change in their communities and countries. The next phase of YHP from 2026 to 2030 will place particular emphasis on youth-led action, health equity and climate responsiveness, recognising that young people are not only disproportionately affected by these challenges, but also powerful agents of change.

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