News on Youth leadership & participation

4 March 2020
News
Young people in Myanmar face a variety of risk factors for depression and other mental health disorders, including exposure to conflict and humanitarian crisis. © UNFPA Myanmar
Better suicide prevention and mental health care needed among Myanmar’s most vulnerable
YANGON, Myanmar – Globally, a person dies from suicide every 40 seconds, and it is estimated that for every death, 20 others have attempted to take their own lives. The vast majority of suicides take place in low- and... Read more
3 January 2020
News
Survivors and advocates Nachaki, Rosillah and Eunice speak with advocate and psychotherapist Leyla Hussein at the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25. (L-R) Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Pratt/Too Young to Wed.
From child brides and FGM survivors to leaders on a global stage
NAIROBI, Kenya/UNITED NATIONS, New York – Monicah, 13, was astonished to learn that female genital mutilation (FGM) is not just an issue just within her community, in Kenya’s rural Samburu County. “I realized it we are... Read more
23 December 2019
News
The world has seen both peril and promise in the last 10 years.
A look back at the 2010s: A decade of voices and choices
UNITED NATIONS, New York – As another decade draws to a close, the world is preoccupied with perils on the horizon. Climate change is beginning to ravage communities everywhere. The global displacement crisis has... Read more
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

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