The Road Ahead for Young People and Family Planning

Today is International Youth Day, and governments, donors, and public health professionals are paying more attention to the number of young people in the world. Unfortunately, most young people don’t have access to basic sexual and reproductive health care and information. As ministries of health and countries identify gaps in family planning, young people’s sexual and reproductive health needs are a crucial area that should be addressed.

One way to do this is through a costed implementation plan (CIP). These plans give countries a clear path for how they will address their family planning goals, make progress on commitments, and improve family planning knowledge and access to methods.

As part of an on-going series, PAI will look at country CIPs to see where young people are represented in the budgeted activities, and if these activities are the most effective at increasing young people’s access to contraception. The first report looks at the CIPs of five countries: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Nigeria.

Overall, each CIP mentioned young people, and several had effective, well-budgeted activities to increase young people’s access to family planning services. However, many missed the mark on crucial areas related to young people’s family planning needs. Find out more about each country in The Road Ahead for Young People and Family Planning.