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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Corinne N.C. Whitaker, PhD, International Women's Health Coalition, 333 7th Avenue, 6th floor, New York City, NY 10001, 212 979-8500, cwhitaker@iwhc.org

At the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, Egypt 179 countries endorsed a shift from a population control focus to one affirming and assuring the sexual and reproductive rights and health of women and young people. This global agreement and its five- and ten-year reviews of progress have been informed by and helped to reinforce sexual and reproductive health service provision, programs and policy advocacy at community and national levels. This presentation discusses selected examples of innovative African programs for adolescents and women built on the work of the women's rights community, focusing on outcomes beyond public health such as expanding choices for young women, and linking services and advocacy. It highlights some of the benefits and challenges of these programs; the early lessons learned about keys to effective implementation and the value of these experiences in advocacy for policy change. It focuses particularly on two issues: integrating the principles and strategies of the women's rights community into work on the sexual and reproductive rights and needs of young people; and strengthening the work with national level program implementers who may remain disconnected from the macro policy statements and grassroots NGO programs which have informed much of this work.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this presentation the participant will be able to

• describe at least three examples of rights-based programs for adolescent sexual and reproductive health;
• identify three of the major challenges facing such programs;
• identify two of the keys for effective implementation of such programs.

Keywords: Adolescents, International, Women

Related Web page: www.iwhc.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No