Africa Regional Forum on Youth Reproductive Health and HIV
Convened by RHR/WHO, YouthNet/FHI, and FRONTIERS/Population Council
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
6–9 June 2006
Agenda
Background
Youth represent a large, significant, and growing demographic worldwide, and the issues facing them are as numerous as the cultures they represent. In particular, a multitude of risk factors confront youth in sub-Saharan Africa. Youth have low contraceptive-use rates and knowledge about reproductive health (RH), and they represent a relatively high proportion of the region's new HIV infections, maternal mortality rates, and unmet need for information and services. These dynamics can be attributed to a number of complex social, cultural, economic, and gender-related factors, and it is clear that supportive and enabling environments and effective interventions are critical to fostering healthy transitions to adulthood. Although new evidence has emerged, and some consensus has been reached on effective program approaches to address youth RH and HIV, gaps in research and programmatic evidence—as well as implementation of evidence-based approaches—still remain of particular concern.
The WHO Department of Reproductive Health and Research (RHR), the Frontiers in Reproductive Health Program (FRONTIERS) of the Population Council, and the YouthNet Project of Family Health International all work at the forefront of youth RH and HIV research, and, when combined, represent one of the largest and most current bodies of research and program evidence on youth. These partners have come together to sponsor a regional forum focusing on critical issues in youth RH and HIV programming in the Africa sub-region.
Participation
The Africa Regional Forum on Youth Reproductive Health and HIV will bring together approximately 65–70 national, regional, and international researchers, youth, donors, program managers, and policymakers from Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. (Conveners, resource persons, and speakers will be drawn from those and other countries.) Interested parties must submit an application form to be considered for participation. Space limitations will not allow for acceptance of all applicants.
Objectives
With a focus on sub-Saharan Africa, the specific objectives of the forum are to:
share the latest research results and program evidence;
share findings and methodologies of promising interventions for youth along with new program and technical tools;
identify gaps in existing research, programs, and policies in youth RH and HIV prevention; and
explore monitoring and evaluation methodologies and desired outcomes for youth programs
Meeting format
The meeting format will be a combination of plenary and working group sessions. Plenary meetings will offer participants background information and opportunities to discuss characteristics of youth both globally and in Africa, and to explore new ideas and methods for monitoring and evaluating youth RH and HIV programs. Concurrent smaller group sessions or “tracks”—which make up the bulk of the forum agenda—will provide participants time for in-depth presentation and discussion on the research, policy, and program issues associated with youth RH and HIV services (Track 1); school and peer-based education (Track 2); and supportive and enabling environments for youth (Track 3).
Venue
Sea Cliff Hotel
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
For more information, contact frontiers@popcouncil.org
