Governments aren’t on track to deliver on what the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) promised they’d reach by 2030, especially as they affect adolescent health and well-being. That’s why we partnered with young activists in seven countries to help them dial up the pressure and lobby for change. Together, did we make a difference? Read on.
In this special report, we’ll tell you about the project, highlight the most pressing issues adolescents face and put a spotlight on why the world is lagging in meeting the SDGs.
You’ll also meet some remarkable activists and learn what their youth leadership has been able to achieve, including ending tax on period supplies in Ghana and nearly doubling funding for family-planning services in Malawi.
And because we want to share our learnings from this unique youth-led project, we’ve mapped out a three-step approach that you can use in your own advocacy efforts to support adolescent health and well-being.
Plan International launched the Youth Advocacy and Leadership (YAL) project to amplify youth voices ahead of the world’s largest-ever gathering on adolescent well-being, the Global Forum for Adolescents (held October 11-12, 2023). Convened by the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), the virtual event was a key milestone in the 1.8 Billion Young People for Change campaign, which calls for better policies, programs and financing to address the needs of young people around the world. It also brought adolescent well-being to the forefront in discussions around the SDGs and what happens after the target year of 2030.
Young people drove all aspects of the project, leading research and national campaign events and playing a key role in government consultations. Plan International’s goal was to support youth in exercising their rights and ensuring their priorities are taken seriously by their governments.
“We don’t speak or make decisions for young people – we champion co-creation,” says Harriet Setsoafia, who leads youth engagement efforts for Plan International in Ghana. “This campaign was about their health and well-being. They needed to feel empowered to demand accountability.”
An advocacy project led by young people
Bolivia, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania and Zambia
April 2022 to September 2024
Calling on governments to increase political and financial investments in the five domains of adolescent well-being (Agency & Resilience, Community & Connectedness, Education & Employment, Safety & Support, Good Health & Nutrition) to enable young people to thrive and achieve their full potential. (Learn more about the five domains here.)
The project brought together stakeholders across multiple levels and sectors.
“Creating space for youth participation is crucial. It’s our greatest struggle and what we fight for the most.”
— Paola, 18, youth activist in Bolivia
“Leave no one behind" is a central pillar of the Sustainable Development Goals’ mandate. But people are being left behind, especially young people.
More than half of adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 live in countries with high rates of malnutrition, injury, violence and HIV infection. Globally, 23 million adolescents have an unmet need for modern contraception and so are at an elevated risk of unintended pregnancy. About 97.5 million adolescent girls do not attend school, though research shows that every year of secondary-school education correlates with an 18% increase in a girl’s future earning power.
Established in 2015 with the goal of ending poverty, protecting the planet and creating a better life for all, the Sustainable Development Goals promised concrete targets to be achieved by 2030. But the goals had a big blind spot right from the start.
“Young people and adolescents were kept on the margins when the SDGs were originally formulated,” says Chris Armstrong, director of health for Plan International Canada.
Only a fraction of SDG targets are adolescent- or youth-specific, which means that young people’s unique relationships to many of the goals and solutions aren’t represented. The Youth Advocacy and Leadership project supported youth to weigh in on how they are affected by SDG-related issues and to press for representation in the commitments and solutions, for the next six years and beyond the 2030 deadline.
“We know that the well-being of adolescents will determine our collective future. We can’t hope to achieve our global goals if we leave them behind.”
– Chris Armstrong, director of health, Plan International Canada
Plan International, in partnership with PMNCH and youth leaders, developed a plan based on proven advocacy tactics. Our teams in each country carried out these three key actions:
Convene a youth-led coalition of actors* to review what governments have already committed to, identify gaps in current policies and programs that pertain to adolescent well-being, and develop specific recommendations.
Support youth to lobby national governments to increase their financial, policy and program commitments for adolescent well-being to achieve the SDGs. This includes high-level meetings with ministry representatives and national campaign events.
Identify or develop mechanisms to monitor progress against government commitments and continue to press for action.
*Key actors in each stage of work included youth-led organizations, international organizations, UN agencies and civil-society groups involved in adolescent well-being.
“The greatest accountability process that young people can use is to keep making noise. We shouldn’t stop until we’ve seen a change, because when we’re quiet, then the government might also get comfortable.”
– Prisca Tadala Dimu, 23, activist and youth advisor for Plan International in Malawi
The Youth Advocacy and Leadership project was able to secure government commitments to increase resources for adolescent well-being in four of the seven countries involved.
“The project reaffirmed the fact that youth have a powerful voice and their leadership in these forums is critical. Organizations like Plan have a role to play in making sure that youth are included,” says Janani Vijayaraghavan, a health advisor for Plan International and the global lead for the project. She notes that the work ahead will continue to be led by youth: “Accountability will be an ongoing process. We’re working to ensure that youth are meaningfully engaged in holding governments to their promises.”
To learn more about the project results and hear from the youth involved, check out each of our country pages:
To learn more about the project results and hear from the youth involved, check out each of our country pages:
This project was delivered with funding from Fondation Botnar and in partnership with PMNCH.
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