Young people’s contribution to theGlobal strategy for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health (2016–2030)

The world has 1. 8 billion people aged 10-24 years. (1) Despite being the healthiest group of the general population, 1. 3 million adolescents (aged 15-24 years) die annually from preventable causes. (2) One in 10 girls under the age of 20 has been a victim of sexual violence. (3) Fifteen million girls under the age of 18 get married every year. (4) Over 500 million people aged 15-24 years live on less than 2 United States dollars (US) a day. (5) However, there is now an increased recognition of the need to invest in young people. The behaviours shaped in adolescence can have long term effects. (6) Investing in adolescent health and well-being is therefore central to the achievement of human rights and equity, as well as improving social and economic development. (7, 8) The sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the Global strategy for women's, children's and adolescents' health (2016-2030) (7) prioritize young people. (7, 9) Efforts to meaningfully engage young people have also increased; this approach was developed with the active participation of young people and it focuses on adolescents and their distinct health needs. (2) Participants to the development of the strategy called for inclusion of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality for young people--such as road traffic injuries and non-communicable diseases. They advocated for a multisectoral approach to addressing the social, cultural, economic and legal barriers often faced by young people and for identification of data gaps. (10, 11) Young people are supporting the implementation of the global strategy. In October 2015, the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn 2014. Available from: https: // www. unfpa. org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/ EN-SWOP14-ReportFINAL-web. pdf cited 2016 Mar 30. …