Source : http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/storage/advfy/documents/policybrief_africanregionalagreements.pdf THe AfricAn YouTH cHArTer HAs noT been siGned or rATified bY: • Algeria • Botswana • Cape Verde • Eritrea • Madagascar • Malawi • Mauritania • Seychelles • Somalia • Swaziland

1. Affirming the Rights of Young People
African Regional Agreements at Summits
and Conferences
In sub-Saharan Africa, young people ages 10-24 The AfricAn YouTh chArTer (AYc),
make up a third of the population, and in some JulY 2006, The GAmbiA
countries within the region, the proportion of The African Youth Charter is guided by the vision
young people is more than half of the total popu- of the African Union to promote and emphasize
lation. 1 These youth play a pivotal role in support- the importance of the youth ages 15 to 35 to the
ing the growth and development of the continent. development of Africa.3
Yet a lack of access to reproductive and sexual
health information, services, and supplies puts The ultimate goal of the African Youth Charter
the health and lives of many young people at (AYC) is to address the principal issues facing Af-
serious risk. Around the world, forty percent of rican Youth. As identified by the UNFPA, there are
new HIV infections are among young people, and four major issues that are affecting African youth.
sixteen million adolescents give birth each year – They are as follows:
Policy Brief
with the vast majority (more than 90 percent) of
the world’s HIV infections and adolescent births • Education, employment and youth
occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. 1,2 The African development;
Union recognizes the critical importance of help-
ing young people protect their sexual and repro- • Women and girl rights;
ductive health and giving young people a voice in
decisions that affect their future. • Quality sexual reproductive health
services; and
Established in 2002, the African Union consists
of 53 African countries working to promote the • Youth participation involvement and
growth, peace and security of Africa. The govern- empowerment. 4
ment and members of the African Union have Within the AYC, there is specific language on
joined together to implement programs and youth, health, and women and girls. The articles
policies that encourage youth to take action and that address these are as follows:
responsibility in ensuring the development of the
continent as well as their wellbeing. The Union Article 16: Health
recognizes that young people make up the fastest
growing population in Africa and that youth are • “Every young person shall have the right to en-
essential assets to the progression and positive joy the best attainable state of physical, mental
future development of Africa. and spiritual health.”4
The African Union has played a crucial role in • State Parties shall, “secure the full involvement
the development of regional agreements aimed of youth in identifying their reproductive and
at providing young people with the resources health needs and designing programs that re-
and health services they need to maintain a spond to these needs with special attention to
healthy lifestyle and in the long run assist in the vulnerable and disadvantaged youth…”4
advancement of Africa. This document provides
an overview of five such agreements that address • State Parties shall, “provide access to youth
the sexual and reproductive health and rights friendly reproductive health ser vices in -
of young people: the African Youth Charter, the cluding contraceptives, antenatal and post
Maputo Plan of Action, the Fifth African Develop- natal services.”4
ment Forum, the Abuja Call for Accelerated Action,
and the Abuja Declaration on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculo- Article 23: Girls and Young Women
sis and Other Related Infectious Diseases. Youth • State Parties shall, “take steps to provide equal
advocates and adult allies working to advance access to health care services and nutrition for
the sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and young women”4
young people in Africa should become familiar
with these agreements, so that they may hold • State Parties shall, “enact and enforce legisla-
leaders accountable to these commitments. tion that protect girls and young women from
all forms of violence, genital mutilation, incest,

2. The African Union In the Maputo Plan of Action, the African Union
Ministers make specific reference to sexual
recognizes the importance
and reproductive health; indicating that it
should be among the highest six priorities of the
health sector.6
of helping young people Action Areas of the Maputo Plan of Action
protect their reproductive In the Maputo Plan of Action, there are specific
action areas that are prioritized to address some
and sexual health. of the greatest concerns and threats to African
countries. These areas include:
• Integration of sexual and reproductive health
services (SRH) into Primary Health Care (PHC);
rape, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, traf-
THe AfricAn ficking, prostitution and pornography”4 • Repositioning family planning;
YouTH cHArTer • State Parties shall, “secure the right for young • Developing and promoting
HAs noT been women to maternity leave”4 youth-friendly services;
siGned or • Unsafe abortion;
The Charter pays close attention to, and under-
rATified bY: stands that there is a greater concern of African
Youth who are “… marginalized from mainstream • Quality safe motherhood;
• Algeria society through inequalities in income, wealth
• Resource mobilization;
and power, unemployment and underemploy-
• botswana ment, infected and affected by the HIV/AIDS • Commodity security; and
• cape Verde pandemic, living in situations of poverty and
hunger, experiencing illiteracy and poor quality • Monitoring and evaluation.6
• eritrea educational systems, restricted access to health
services and to information, exposure to vio- Addressing Young People
• Madagascar lence including gender and violence, engaging in
armed conflicts and experiencing various forms The Maputo Plan of Action includes language
• Malawi of discrimination.” 4 Therefore, the AYC reaffirms on young people specifically. The Plan of Action
the need to take proper steps and precautions to identifies “young people” as one of the prior-
• Mauritania promote and protect the welfare of youth. ity target groups among several other groups
including men and women of reproductive age,
• seychelles While the Charter does include language that is and displaced persons among others. 6 Most im-
• somalia specific to youth and the health and women and portantly, the strategic actions for implementing
girls, the document does not identify ways that the Continental Sexual and Reproductive Health
• swaziland young people can get involved or be included in and Rights Policy Framework does an incredible
their local communities to promote and ensure job in noting the actions that need to be taken
youth development. for young people. Such actions include:
• Provide sexuality education for young people
mApuTo plAn of AcTion for in and out of school;
The operATionAlisATion of The
sexuAl And reproducTive heAlTh • Strengthen implementation and or advocacy
And riGhTs conTinenTAl policY for policies that support the provision of sex-
frAmework, sepTember 2006, ual reproductive health and rights services ad-
mozAmbique dressing the needs of young people; and
The Maputo Plan of Action was adopted during • Cerebrate a day for the sexual reproductive
the Special Session of the African Union Con- health and rights services for young people.6
ference of Ministers of Health in September of
2006. 5 The aim of this Special Session was to iden- Much of the declaration illustrates challenges
tify a plan of action for the initiation of the Con- facing low and middle income countries that
tinental Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy need assistance in regards to pivotal areas such
Framework, which would also link HIV/AIDS with as HIV/AIDS, education and women. The Declara-
reproductive health services. 6 tion is a step toward the realization of the goals
these countries must achieve.
The Maputo Plan of Action, commonly referred to
as the Plan of Action on Sexual and Reproductive
Health and Rights, seeks to improve the status of The fifTh AfricAn developmenT
the continent by progressing towards worldwide forum, november 2006, eThiopiA
access to comprehensive sexual and reproduc- The Fifth African Development Forum, “Youth
tive health services in African by 2015. The Plan and Leadership in the 21st Century”, was the first
of Action realizes the urgent need to improve the to focus on young people.7 The Forum was orga-
health status of the African population in order nized by the Economic Commission for Africa and
to attain the Millennium Development Goals. 6 partner, The African Union.

3. The Fifth African Development Forum (ADF-V) The Fifth African Development Forum cites young
stresses that any policy implemented to promote people as an important factor in the develop-
progression of the continent must identify the ment and progression of the African continent.
importance and urgent need to address young The forum goes even further to illustrate the
people. The Forum provides an environment to essential need for commitments such as the
discuss and implement approaches for the devel- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
opment of Africa. 8 Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) to be
implemented to help support the objectives the
definition of Youth forum has set in place. Most importantly the
Forum notes the importance of essential tactics
Organizations have found difficulties determin- such as comprehensive sexual education and
ing a proper definition for youth because their access to condoms to improve the rate at which
focus has previously been on younger children young women fall victim to HIV/AIDS and other
or adults. However, The Fifth African Develop- sexually transmitted infections.
ment Forum adopted the definition used by The
African Union in the African Youth Charter. Youth
are therefore defined as those between the ages AbuJA cAll for AccelerATed
of 15 and 35 years. AcTion TowArds universAl Access
To hi/Aids, Tuberculosis And
African development forum Work Program mAlAriA services in AfricA, mAY
2006, niGeriA
The Work Program of the ADF-V focuses on mak-
ing youth essential in the progression and de- In May 2006, members of the African Union met in
velopment of Africa. For that reason the work Abuja, Nigeria to evaluate the Abuja Declaration
program has three key standpoints in order to and Plan of Action on HIV and AIDS, Tuberculosis
reach this goal: and Other Infectious Diseases (ORID) of 2001. 9
The theme for this declaration is “Universal Ac-
• Youth as a base for economic development; cess to HIV and AIDS; Tuberculosis and Malaria
Services by a United Africa by 2010.” Of the twelve
• Youth as a dynamic force for social transforma- priorities for the Abuja Plan of Action on HIV and
tion and progress; and AIDS, Tuberculosis and Other Related Infectious
Diseases; Protection for Human Rights focuses
• Youth as a factor for change in governance and particularly on women, youth and children.
political development in Africa. 8
Priorities for the Abuja call toward
Within these standpoints, there is specific lan- universal Access
guage that addresses young people, health, girls
and young women. They are as follows: The twelve priorities for the Abuja Call toward
Universal Access include:
Youth and Economic Development:
• Leadership at National, Regional and Continen-
Young People, Health and HIV/AIDS: With HIV/ tal Levels to mobilize the society as a whole;
AIDS proving to be the number one risk to young
women in Africa, it has been noted that much • Resource Mobilization;
needs to be done in order stop the pandemic. The
ADF-V recognizes both direct and indirect ways • Protection for Human Rights, Poverty, Health
address these issues. Direct tactics include com- and Development;
prehensive sexual education, life skills, access to
condoms, etc. Indirect tactics include increasing • Strengthening Health Systems;
young girl’s education opportunities so that
they are more empowered and knowledgeable • Prevention of Primary and Secondary
regarding engaging in sexual activities such as Infections;
selling or trading sex. 8
Youth advocates must
Youth and Social Development:
ADF-V recognizes that the culture of most African
societies has subjected most young women and
girls to household labor, therefore hindering hold leaders accountable
for the commitments
their economic and social growth. Also recogniz-
ing that young women and girls are more likely to
fall victim to serious health issues such as sexu-
ally transmitted infections and HIV, the ADF-V
suggests the importance of educating young they have made to young
people.
women and girls and also recognizes the positive
outcome of implementing certain commitments
such as the Convention on the Elimination of all
forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
and others. 8

4. • Improvement of Information, Education of that; stating that youth among other groups
and Communication; are needed:
• Access to Treatment, Care and Support; • For the fight against HIV and AIDS, Tuberculo-
sis and Malaria;
• Access to Affordable Drugs and Technologies;
• To develop frameworks that will provide
• Research and Development on HIV and AIDS, substantial results;
Tuberculosis and ORID;
• To support the mobilization for prevention,
• Partnership; and care and support and treatment based
activities; and
• Monitoring and Evaluation. 10
• To facilitate the operationalization of
The African Union has noted that as individuals all commitments. 10
move from country to country within the conti-
nent, HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis spread.
As a result, they have realized the urgent need The AbuJA frAmework for
to take proper action to fight against the spread AcTion for The fiGhT AGAinsT hiv/
of these diseases. However, they face several Aids, Tuberculosis And oTher
challenges and obstacles in the process. A few of relATed infecTious diseAses, April
these challenges include: 2001, niGeriA
• Lack of adequate policies protecting The African Union Heads of State and Govern-
the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS ment met in Abuja, Nigeria in April 2001 to hold
and Tuberculosis; a special summit focused on HIV/AIDS; Tubercu-
losis (TB); and Other Related Infectious Diseases
• Failure to link the correlation between HIV and (ORID). 10 The results brought forth the commit-
AIDS with sexual and reproductive health; and ment made by African States to make HIV/AIDS
one of the major priorities of their national devel-
• Stigma and discrimination of people infected opment program. 11
with HIV/AIDS. 10
Concerned about rapid spread of HIV infection,
While reaffirming the commitments cited in the tuberculosis, and other related infectious diseas-
Millennium Development Goals and rededicating es, the Heads of State met to review the situation
themselves to the protection of human rights, and develop strategic plans and policies that
specific reference is made to young people, wom- could be implemented to alleviate and monitor
en and health: the situation. In an attempt to do so, the Heads of
State made specific reference to young people,
“To continue promoting an enabling pol- prioritizing their needs in order to progress as a
icy, legal and social environment that continent. They recognized the following:
promotes human rights particularly for
women, youth and children and ensure • Special efforts are required to ensure that
the protection of people infected and af- Africa’s children are protected from these
fected by HIV/AIDS, TV and Malaria and to pandemics and their consequences and that
reduce vulnerability and marginalization the full and effective participation of young
including conflict-affected and displaced people in prevention and control programs is
persons, refugees and returnees.” 10 essential to their success;
Noting the difficulties and challenges Africa • Special needs and challenges of the HIV/AIDS
faces regarding HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tubercu- pandemic for the young that make them vul-
losis, the agreement acknowledges the need to nerable to infection and adverse impacts of
take prevention, treatment, care and support the epidemic; and
measures. Within these measures, they recog-
nize the need to improve information, education • Education will play a major role in the fight
and communication; investing in evidence-based against HIV/AIDS in Africa. 11
prevention that focuses primarily on young
people, women, girls and other groups; and to Recognizing these issues, the Heads of State
provide universal access to male and female declared AIDS as a State of Emergency for the
condoms for all persons who are sexually active. continent. As a result, they made the following
Interestingly, the agreement makes reference to commitments:
continuing the promotion of traditional values • To place HIV/AIDS as the major priority issue
on abstinence, but also emphasizes the need to regarding the national development plans;12
continue to increase condom use. 10
• Ensure that the needs of susceptible groups
With young people being an essential tool in the are met. These groups include women, chil-
positive progression of Africa, it is imperative dren, youth, workers and others;11
to have youth involved in their local communi-
ties to promote and ensure youth development.
This particular agreement does make mention

5. • Improve quality of and access to education, references
information and youth programs regarding 1. UNAIDS Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic 2010.
HIV/AIDS;12 Accessed from http://www.unaids.org /globalreport /
Global_report.htm on February 15, 2011.
• Allocate at least 15 % of the annual national
budget to improve the health sector;11 and 2. World Health Organization. “Making Pregnancy Safer.”
Accessed from http://www.who.int/making_pregnancy_
• Formulate a continental wide policy with the safer/topics/adolescent_pregnancy/en/index.html on
assistance of the African Union Secretariat. 12 February 15, 2011.
3. African Union. African Youth Charter. http://www.afri-
The Abuja Framework identifies youth as a prior- ca-union.org/root/ua/conferences/mai/hrst/charter%20
ity population and HIV/AIDS as a major priority english.pdf. Accessed November 15, 2010.
issues for national development plans. It also
highlights the need for improved quality of HIV/ 4. Ashenafi, E., Imran, L. UNFPA. ICPD-MDGs-AYC-Work-
ing as One!-2009. Accessed from http://files.tiggroups.
AIDS education and programs for young people
org /90021/get-web/ICPD_MDG_ AYC _Youth_Position_
although components of effective programming, Oct09_NO_COVER.pdf on February 15, 2011.
such as comprehensive sexuality education, are
not specifically articulated. 5. The African Union Commission. Plan of Action on Sex-
ual and Reproductive Health and Rights ( Maputo Plan of
Action. http://www.unfpa.org/africa/newdocs/maputo_
conclusion eng.pdf. Accessed November 23, 2010.
The agreements described in this fact sheet are 6. Special Session of the Conference of African Union Min-
important tools for youth activists and adult isters of Health. http://www.africa-union.org/root/au/
allies working to advance the sexual and repro- Conferences/Past/2006/September/SA/Maputo/CAMH2.
ductive health and rights of young people within htm. Accessed November 29, 2010.
Africa. These agreements have shown that gov- 7. The Fifth African Development Forum (ADF-V). Youth
ernments in Africa are increasingly recognizing and Leadership in the 21st Century. http://www.uneca.
the importance of prioritizing youth; however, org/adfv/Concept_Paper.htm. Accessed November 18,
much work needs to be done to hold leaders ac- 2010.
countable to their commitments. Understanding
8. The Fifth African Development Forum. About ADF-V.
the commitments that already exist is key to de- http://www.uneca.org/adfv/about.htm. Accessed Novem-
manding that accountability and to identifying ber 29, 2010.
remaining policy gaps to advocate for in future
negotiations. 9. The African Union. Abuja Call for Accelerated Action To-
wards Universal Access to HIV and AIDS, Tuberculosis and
Advocates for Youth © February 2011 Malaria Services in Africa. Accessed on December 2, 2010.
Written by Olaide Aiyegbusi, International Division, with 10. The African Union. Abuja Declaration on HIV/AIDS,
contributions from Elizabeth Orlan, Zemen Retta, and Tuberculosis and Other Related Infectious Diseases.
Maritza Pedlar http://www.un.org/ga/aids/pdf/abuja_declaration.pdf.
Accessed on December 8, 2010.
11. A Compendium of African Union and International
Commitments on HIV and AIDS. The Abuja Framework for
Action for the Fight against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and
other Related Infectious Diseases. 64.

6. mission
Established in 1980 as the Center for Population Options, Advocates for Youth champions efforts
to help young people make informed and responsible decisions about their reproductive and
sexual health. Advocates believes it can best serve the field by boldly advocating for a more posi-
tive and realistic approach to adolescent sexual health.
our vision: The 3rs
Advocates for Youth envisions a society that views sexuality as normal and healthy and treats
young people as a valuable resource.
The core values of Rights. Respect. Responsibility.® (3Rs) animate this vision:
RIGHTS: Youth have the right to accurate and complete sexual health information, confidential
reproductive and sexual health services, and a secure stake in the future.
RESPECT: Youth deserve respect. Valuing young people means involving them in the design,
implementation and evaluation of programs and policies that affect their health and well-being.
RESPONSIBILITY: Society has the responsibility to provide young people with the tools they need
to safeguard their sexual health, and young people have the responsibility to protect themselves
from too-early childbearing and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV.
some relATed publicATions from AdvocATes for YouTh
Youth and the Global HIV/AIDS Pandemic
Adolescent Maternal Mortality: An Overlooked Crisis
Affirming the Rights of Young People at United Nations World Conferences and Summits
See the complete library of publications at www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications