Youth Indaba Commitment Statement on Youth-led Accountability for delivering on political commitments on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), HIV and Gender Equality in the SADC region through youth-led accountability
Commitment description:Our Youth Indaba, in Pretoria from 15-17, October 2019 gathered 60 youth below the age of 35 years, including young parliamentarians, youth advocates and researchers from 16 SADC countries to learn, discuss, share best practices and evidence to improve the delivery on political commitments on dignity and human rights, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), HIV/AIDS and Gender Equality, Place and Mobility, Governance and Accountability and Sustainability in the SADC region through Youth-led accountability, event held at Protea Hatfield, Pretoria in South Africa
The Youth Indaba fully commit to jointly strengthen Youth-led Accountability on the promises of ICPD as translated into continental, regional and national commitments and action.
Commitment
We, the young people from civil society, academia and youth-led organizations and networks, represented at the Youth Indaba, commit to:
● Strengthen advocacy among all relevant decision-makers, including governments, parliaments, traditional and religious leaders, and media, for increased access to comprehensive sexuality education and affordable, equitable, quality and integrated adolescent and youth-friendly SRHR, HIV and GBV services. This includes the unmet need for contraception, safe abortion, HPV vaccinations, and menstrual health.
● Continue empowering and capacitating young people with knowledge about SRHR, HIV, gender equality, and agency, skills,and platforms to enable them to meaningfully engage in decision making in matters that affect their communities and lives as individuals.
● Strengthen the knowledge and understanding among young people working in communities of national, regional and global accountability frameworks and their linkages with local actions they are leading.
● Develop strategic partnerships and fostering collaborations with young parliamentarians and supporting them with evidence and data for them to advocate for the domestication of global and regional commitments
Mode of engagement:
- Programmatic actionWe do aim to design various innovative approaches that fits to solve the challenges facing youth associated with Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights at Eastern and Southern Africa.
Achieve universal access to sexual and reproductive health as a part of universal health coverage (UHC)(4) Access for all adolescents and youth, especially girls, to comprehensive and age-responsive information, education and adolescent-friendly comprehensive, quality and timely services to be able to make free and informed decisions and choices about their sexuality and reproductive lives, to adequately protect themselves from unintended pregnancies, all forms of sexual and gender-based violence and harmful practices, sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS, to facilitate a safe transition into adulthood.
