YPPD AND PMNCH CONCLUDES A NATIONAL FORUM ON ADOLESCENTS HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN SIERRA LEONE

/ Adolescents, Health, Uncategorized, young people / By

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sierra Leone Youth Joins the 1.8 Billion Young People for Change Campaign Ahead of the Global Forum for Adolescents.

Mayor’s Conference Hall, Freetown, 19thSeptember 2023, 09:30-16:00

On this day, Sierra Leone adolescents and youth join the world’s largest gathering for adolescent well-being at the Mayor’s Conference Hall. Over a hundred young people, campaigners, and partners came together to advocate for much-needed investment and support for young people’s health and well-being.

Joining young people were representatives from the Ministry of health, civil society organizations, local and international non-governmental organizations, and exciting speakers at the national Forum on Adolescents Health and Wellbeing convened by the Youth Partnership for Peace and Development and partners.

 

“We are here to embark on a journey—a journey towards a healthier, brighter future for adolesnents and young people in Sierra Leone and the world over. In the faces of our adolescents, we see the promise of a nation ready to flourish, contribute, and lead. It is our collective responsibility to nurture this promise and provide the support, guidance, and opportunities they deserve.” Dr. Francis Moses, Manager for Reproductive Health and Family Planning at the Ministry of Health.

“We are coming together to ensure that our leaders are committed to making positive changes that will benefit us, and that they’re held accountable for keeping their promises. We want to see concrete plans, commitments, and resources being put into action so that we can all live healthy, happy lives. By coming together with thousands around the world, as part of the Global Forum, and the 1.8 Billion Young People for Change campaign worldwide, we can make sure that youth voices are heard, and that we’re making a real impact.” Christine Lombeh, 1.8 mobilizer at YPPD.

 

This event is one of more than a 100 national events taking place across the world, bringing together youth and adolescents, advocates, and global decision-makers, culminating in the world’s biggest global virtual event for adolescents: The Global Forum for Adolescents on 11-12 October 2023. This free digital event will unite the voices of 1 million young people to rally for new policies, more investment, and greater accountability for action. Communicating to the world what young people really want through the 1.8 Billion Young People for Change campaign. The aim is to secure political and financial commitments toward improved adolescent health and well-being.

The Global Forum for Adolescents is organized by PMNCH, the largest global platform a advocating for women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health and well-being, hosted by the World Health Organization.

 

At the Global Forum for Adolescents, PMNCH will unveil the Agenda for Action for Adolescents, informed by the findings from the What Young People Want survey, the largest-ever survey into what young people want for their health and well-being. So far, over 1 million young people globally have taken part, and results in real-time are available through the What Young People Want Digital Dashboard, enabling users to analyse data and trends by topic, gender, age, and country. The dashboard is an open-access public tool for students, young change-makers, national policymakers, and journalists seeking to understand and address youth demands at national and global levels. The dashboard’s data is directly collected from survey responses and not sourced from official country statistics or data sets.

 

“The Global Forum for Adolescents is a key milestone for the 1.8 Billion Young People for Change campaign, bringing together youth and adolescents, advocates, global leaders, and decision-makers at a pivotal moment for kickstarting policy shifts and program re-design at the country level,” said Helga Fogstad, Executive Director, PMNCH.

 

“Adolescence is a critical stage of development with positive outcomes not only for adolescents but for people of all ages. Ensuring adolescents’ well-being is critical to the achievement of a sustainable future for all, requiring cross-sectoral approaches that respond to the multi-faceted nature of their development. Effort spent to ensure adolescent well-being today, especially for females, will yield a triple dividend for adolescents now, in their future lives, and for generations to come.”

 

Further information:

For interviews, footage, and images from the event, please contact:

or the below:

  • Mijail Santos Lujan, PMNCH Team Lead, Digital Communications E: msantos@who.int
  • Cathy Moroney Bartley, PMNCH Media Relations, M/WhatsApp: +44 7958561671 E: moroneyc@who.int

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