ADDIS ABABA (UNFPA Ethiopia) – A five-year program titled Integrated Program on Family planning and Sexual and Reproductive Health among Adolescents and Youth (2019-2023) funded by the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) was launched in December 2019. The program, which will be implemented with a total budget of close to USD 3.5 million, is expected to complement efforts at strengthening the capacity of adolescents and young people to make informed decisions on their sexual and reproductive health and rights.
“Let’s create a favorable environment where the young peoples’ sexual and reproductive health and rights are promoted and protected, even in humanitarian settings,” said Mr. Seunghwan Shin, Deputy Resident Representative of KOICA in Ethiopia, at the event. “The sexual and reproductive health and family planning challenges of young people in Ethiopia cannot be underestimated,” he added.
The Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (2016) estimates maternal death among young age groups 15-19 years and 20-24 years contributed to 17.4 % and 28.7% of all the deaths, respectively.
The program strives to empower adolescents and youth by making choices and services available as well as developing the capacity of healthcare providers and institutions to ensure informed choices. It is also expected to bolster efforts to strengthen key social behavior change communication platforms to enhance service seeking behaviors.
Making remarks on the occasion, Bettina Maas, UNFPA Ethiopia Country Representative, said the program complements UNFPA’s efforts at strengthening the capacity of adolescents and young people to make informed decisions on their sexual and reproductive health and rights. She added that “this is critical in realizing safe transition of adolescents and youth to fulfill their potential.”
The program intends to ensure that comprehensive adolescent-friendly services are also included in humanitarian response in light of the fact that it will be implemented in areas affected by humanitarian emergencies. The program will be implemented in selected districts in [West] Guji and Gedeo Zones of the Oromia and SNNP regions, respectively.
The conflicts in the two zones which have resulted in hundreds of thousands of displaced persons have increased the vulnerability of adolescents and youth to HIV, sexually transmitted infections and other sexual & reproductive health problems, and sexual and gender-based violence. The existing health system and services have been seriously weakened by the situation impacting access to sexual and reproductive health information, counseling and services. The program strives to ensure that the needs of adolescents, especially young girls, who are vulnerable to sexual violence, are addressed in a meaningful way.
The program launch event was attended by the representatives of relevant sector bureaus from the Oromia and SNNP Regions, KOICA, UNFPA, implementing partners of the program, adolescents and youth and other invited guests.
Source: UNFPA Ethiopia