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The voice of the youth must be heard in
all youth related efforts.
| Asia-Pacific
Region Youth Manifesto |
| We,
the youth of the Asia Pacific Region, convened today,
February 17, 2001 at the Philippine Trade and Training
Center on the Theme, “Quality Reproductive Health
on Track with the International Conference on Population
and Development (ICPD) Commitment.
Having recognized the importance and role of the youth
in promoting reproductive initiatives among adolescents
of the Asia Pacific Region, having identified the rights
of the youth to:
- Make our own decisions free
from external pressure, dictates and coercion;
- Accurate information and quality
education;
- Accessible, adequate and appropriate
gender sensitive health care and health protection;
- Involve and participate at all
levels of planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation
of gender sensitive reproductive health initiatives,
Having heard the voices, we the
youth of the Asia Pacific Region are responding to the
call to take up the challenges of implementing the Reproductive
Health programs and services among the youth sector
of the Asia pacific.
Therefore, we recognize the critical collaboration and
partnership of the young and the adults, we in turn
call upon health professionals, researchers, religious
leaders, academicians and the entire civil society to
listen to the pronouncements of the youth. |
What Are We Doing to Help Them?
A few years ago, those of us from the government,
the academe and civil society, started to work with other
parents, as well as the youth themselves, in programs and
activities to help young people maintain and enjoy healthy
and positive lifestyles.
Like young and first-time parents, we struggled
with our methods and our strategies, making mistakes, but
nevertheless, learning new lessons with every step we made.
The important thing was that we moved forward.
Although we have a long way to go, we are
proud of what we have achieved. Currently, different agencies
are implementing youth related development programs. Some
examples of concrete actions we have taken so far and are
still doing are found in this section of the report. These
includes programs and projects that are government, private
sector and school-led with the following common components:
policy development, integration of population and development
concerns in the school curriculum, conduct of advocacy and
information education and communication activities, provision
of counseling services, capability building for youth workers
and peer counselors, research, among others.
| The Adolescent
Health and Youth Development Program |
| Funded
by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the PO9
project is POPCOM’s response to the growing awareness
worldwide on the reproductive health issues and concerns
of the youth and their significant contribution to future
population and health trends.
This project was expected to bring together all the
resources to develop and implement the programmes for
the well-being of the youth, with POPCOM taking the
lead in facilitation.
The major achievement of the project is its institutionalization
as a major program area of the Philippine Population
Management Program (PPMP). The AHYDP is incorporated
in the PPMP’s Medium Term Plan for 1993-1998 and
in the 1999-2004 program implementation plans. The project
reached its major breakthrough when the Philippine Medium
Term Youth Development Plan for 1999-2004 under the
auspices of the National Youth Commission, included
AHYDP as one of the flagship programs under the cross
sectoral program.
Innovative projects were also conducted under the AHYDP
which included media outreach, skills training and enhancement
programs, peer counseling, and support to other youth
programs and projects. |
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