Three decades after the International Conference on Population and Development: where are we with youth engagement in sexual and reproductive health and rights in Africa?

The world has recently celebrated the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cario, which transformed global thinking on population and development issues by prioritizing the inclusion of reproductive rights, empowering women and girls, and addressing inequalities in nations' development agenda. A joint statement at the United Nations General Assembly meeting marking the 30th anniversary of this crucial conference called that the march toward a peaceful, equitable, just, and sustainable future continues by ensuring no one is left behind. To date, youth engagement in sexual and reproductive health in developing countries remains low despite the call for nations to meet the educational and service needs of adolescents and youth to enable them to deal in a positive and responsible way with their sexuality and health (one of the bold layouts of the landmark International Conference on Population and Development). Current evidence on youth engagement in sexual and reproductive health shows that there are some effective interventions implemented in African countries that seem creative and encouraging. However, in terms of research, the interventions are fragmented and poorly documented. There are too few studies that looked into the implementation of effective and pragmatic approaches on this topic. Africa should improve its investments in youth sexual and reproductive health interventions with their full participation.