Adolescence

FOCUS ONWorking together for adolescent girls: The United Nations AdolescentGirls Task ForceIn 2007, a number of United Nations agencies* founded the United NationsAdolescent Girls Task Force. With support from the UN Foundation, the TaskForce aims to strengthen interagency collaboration at both the global andcountry levels; facilitate the development of effective programmes to addressthe rights and needs of adolescent girls; support the drive to achieve theMDGs; and eliminate all forms of violence and discrimination against girlsand young women.In March 2010, the Task Force launched a Joint Statement for AcceleratedEfforts to Advance the Rights of Adolescent Girls signed by the heads ofthe six agencies. The agencies committed to increasing support to governmentsand civil societies over the next five years to advance policies andprogrammes to empower the hardest-to-reach adolescent girls.The Joint Statement spells out the mandate and the responsibilities of theUN country teams in protecting the rights of the marginalized adolescentgirl. It commits agencies to mobilizing the financial and technical resourcesto work together to identify five strategic priorities for fulfilling the rights ofadolescent girls. These priorities include:• Educating adolescent girls.• Improving the health of adolescent girls.• Keeping adolescent girls free from violence, abuse and exploitation.• Promoting leaders among adolescent girls.• Counting adolescent girls to advance their well-being and realizetheir human rights.See References, page 78.* Participating agencies include International Labour Organization, United Nations Children’s Fund, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, United Nations Population Fund,United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women, and World Health Organization.have been left behind. Policies and programmes aimed atachieving the MDGs too often ignore the situation of thepoorest and most marginalized adolescents and youth,even those in middle-income and industrialized countries.Fulfilling their rights to education, health and recreation; toan environment without violence; and to having their voicesheard in decision-making processes are all conditions forachieving social equality, pro-poor economic growth andexpanded citizenship.Moreover, an equity approach to adolescent developmenthighlights the urgent need to identify the most marginalizedand vulnerable adolescents in every society, to design anddevelop relevant and innovative approaches to reach andengage them, and to ensure that investments are targetedto give them equal access and opportunities for growth anddevelopment.In an effort to move towards greater equity in health,national governments are taking action, with internationalsupport, to abolish user fees for critical health services.Countries that have done so include Burundi, Ghana,Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, the Niger, Senegal and Zambia.Donor countries such as France and the United Kingdomoffer incentives to eliminate fees by providing additionalaid to countries that remove them. Development agenciessuch as the World Health Organization and the WorldBank have also taken strong positions against user fees inhealth care. 20 When partners come together in this way,significant advances in human rights can be achieved.Working together for adolescentsIn 2010–2011, the world celebrates the International Year ofYouth (IYY). Since the first IYY 25 years ago, the world hascome a long way in recognizing and advancing the rights ofyoung people. Governments adopted the Convention on theRights of the Child (1989), two optional protocols protectingchildren from armed conflict and sexual exploitation(2000), the International Labour Organization Conventionon the Worst Forms of Child Labour (1999) and theMillennium Development Goals (2000).Equal rights to education, health, employment, juvenile justice, religion, culture and identity areall imperative to the positive development of young people. A peer education trainer discussesa film, Born with AIDS, at the Adolescent-Friendly Services Centre at Bandar Abbas HealthComplex, Islamic Republic of Iran.Investing in Adolescents75