Youth Portal for the Latin America and the Caribbean

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, today reaffirmed its support for comprehensive sexuality education as an essential component of efforts to protect the health and rights of young people.

“We are mandated by the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) to provide support to governments to protect and promote the rights of adolescents to reproductive health education, information and care,” stated Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, UNFPA’s Executive Director. “We have been supporting national efforts to improve sexual and reproductive health education and services for young people for decades and we will continue to do so.

The principle by which the United Nations performs its function as an intergovernmental body requires that it conforms fully with universally recognized international human rights, consistent with national laws and development priorities, and with full respect for the various religious and ethical values and cultural backgrounds of Member States.

Young people need correct age-relevant, gender-sensitive and context-specific information that is consistent with their evolving needs and capacities. This information helps them attain a level of maturity required to make responsible decisions about their sexual and reproductive health, including preventing unwanted pregnancy, unsafe abortion, and sexually-transmitted infections, including HIV.

Along with UN partner agencies, UNFPA will continue to cooperate with UNESCO in further fine-tuning and finalizing the guidelines on sexuality education, which are a work in progress. UNFPA believes the document should reflect understandings already reached in international agreements, including the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development. The recommendations should be adaptable to local contexts for effective and wide application so that they could be best used to bring maximum benefit to young people.