News on Youth leadership & participation

10 December 2019
News
Ms. Banda reads the inscription on her award, which comes from members of her community: “Thank you our fierce fighter, Memory." Image from video feed.
Young voices demand to be heard: Celebrating young activists on Human Rights Day
UNITED NATIONS, Geneva – Memory Banda, 23, knows how to change the world: by refusing to stay silent.  Ms. Banda grew up in Malawi in an area where child marriage, sexual violence and early pregnancy were common. “In my... Read more
1 December 2019
News
Chifundo Tindo now trains other people to provide stigma-free comprehensive sexuality education. © UNFPA
“If you love me, know my status”: Safeguard Young People helps young people cast off HIV stigma
LILONGWE, Malawi – Chifundo Tindo lived with HIV for years before learning, at age 14, about her status. It had been a closely guarded secret since she was a child, even as her sister made sure she took her... Read more
26 November 2019
News
Child marriage is widely seen as a way to secure care for daughters, who are often viewed as an economic burden. In this way, the practice both arises from and perpetuates gender inequality. © UNFPA Regional Syria Response Hub
“Life became a cage”: Syrian girls shed light on conflict, vulnerability and cycle of abuse
DAMASCUS, Syria – “Growing up, I felt as though my wings were slowly clipped against my will, and life became a cage from which there was no escape,” said Amal*, a Syrian adolescent from Qamishli. “An entire world... Read more
4 November 2019
News
Nuns and monks gathered at Pangrizampa College of Astrology to speak with UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem about their work on sexual and reproductive health and rights. © UNFPA Bhutan/Nilanjana Bose
Nuns and monks break the silence on sexual and reproductive health and rights in Bhutan
Thimphu, BHUTAN – "There was a time when I would be menstruating and didn’t know what to do during those days… Now I do.” These candid reflections came from an unexpected source: a nun sitting cross-legged on the floor... Read more
29 October 2019
News
Without the support and information, Iuliana* faced violence and early pregnancy. But with the right support, a brighter future is possible. © UNFPA Moldova/Anastasia Pirvu
In Moldova, life skills education helps girls find a better path
Chisinau, REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA – Iuliana* did not get much a childhood. Born into a poor family in a remote Moldovan village, she started working at an early age. “I worked at a poultry plant,” she recently recounted to... Read more
12 August 2019
News
When supported and empowered, young people can change the world. “I want to help Uganda,” says Edith Nambalirwa, a peer educator. “If I cannot do it with money, let me do it with knowledge.” © UNFPA ESARO/Corrie Butler
Helping young people take charge of their bodies, their lives, our world
UNITED NATIONS, New York – Every year on 12 August, leaders around the world commemorate International Youth Day. On this day, powerful figures have praised the contributions of young people. They have called for more... Read more
5 June 2019
News
Large numbers of people are bypassing immigration controls as they exit Venezuela. © Tomer Urwicz
Dignity and strength: Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Colombia
CÚCUTA, Colombia – Not long ago, 15-year-old Nelsmar attended a middle-class school in central Venezuela. That was before her family was uprooted by the economic and humanitarian crisis in her country, which has pushed... Read more
28 May 2019
News
In India, 15-year-old Priyanka Meena sleeps outside her home when she has her periods. She wears the same clothes and uses the same utensils when she menstruates; these are believed to be unclean. © UNFPA India
Menstruation is not a girls' or women’s issue – it’s a human rights issue
JUBA/COX’S BAZAR/UNITED NATIONS – “My periods are a nightmare,” Nyanjuma Galoth, 20, told UNFPA at a civilian protection camp in South Sudan. “They are very painful, and I can’t get any sanitary products.”It is a major... Read more
10 April 2019
News
Marta Paula, from Guinea-Bissau, was hospitalized when she gave birth at 13. Doctors were worried she might die. Today, she calls for young people to have access to family planning. © UNFPA/I. Barbosa
Vast numbers of women lack decision-making power over their own bodies, says UNFPA flagship report
UNITED NATIONS, New York – Reproductive rights and choices have become a reality for more women than ever, says UNFPA’s flagship report, State of World Population 2019, released today. Yet despite these gains, vast... Read more
18 January 2019
News
Young people outside a youth-friendly health centre in Kamenge, Bujumbura. © UNFPA/Chiara Frisone
In Burundi, sexual health education helps youth protect themselves, their futures
BUJUMBURA, Burundi – “During my youth, I had to abort four times,” said Cecile Nshimirimana*, a student in Burundi’s capital, Bujumbura. The procedures were illegal – in Burundi, abortion is permitted only to save a... Read more

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