COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE 2ND NATIONAL ADOLESCENT REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SUMMIT HELD AT LA PALM HOTEL, ACCRA ON 29-30 AUGUST 2018

We, Students, Young People, Persons with Disabilities, SRHR
Partners, Academics, Policy Makers, Adolescent and Youth SRHR advocates
at the 2nd National Adolescent Reproductive Health Summit held at the La
Palm Royal Beach Hotel, have discussed issues on Adolescent Sexual and
Reproductive Health and Rights (ASRHR) and how to increase funding for
ASRHR.
We reflected and noted the critical roles Government must play to ensure that
adolescent SRHR issues such as – facilitating innovations, sharing good
practices, generating local level solutions while scaling up initiatives in
partnerships with Government and other partners – receive the needed
attention and financial investment, and call for the following:
1. Government should adequately resource and also empower state
institutions responsible for adolescent sexual and reproductive health,
such as the National Population Council (NPC), the Ghana Health
Service (GHS), the National Youth Authority (NYA) and the School
Health Education Programme (SHEP) of the Ghana Education Service
(GES) to fulfil their mandates of coordinating ARH/Youth policies and
implementing ARH/Youth programmes respectively, to ensure
maximum and synergistic use of resources.
2. Government should expedite action on the integration of Family
Planning into the benefit package of the National Health Insurance
Scheme to remove the cost barrier for services, in order to promote use
of sexual and reproductive health services especially by adolescents
and young people.
3. We recognize the changing funding landscape and dwindling donor
support as a result of the middle income status of Ghana, leading to
gaps in ASRHR financing and call on Government through the Ministers
of Finance, Health, Education, Youth and Sports to ring-fence budgets
for adolescent health in their annual budgets to enable Ghana reap
demographic dividend.
4. Government, through the Minister of Education should expedite work on
the integration of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) into the
school curriculum, as part of the ongoing review of the school
curriculum.
5. Government through the Minister of Education should expedite work on
the capacity building of teachers to effectively teach CSE, especially as
we go into universal free senior high school and double – track
education.
6. Parents, religious leaders and the media should support efforts by
Government to integrate CSE into the school curriculum and also clarify
values on adolescent sexuality.
7. Government, through the GES, GHS and NYA should expand the
establishment of adolescent/youth friendly corners and integrate them
into school based clinics, where sexual and reproductive health
information and services with the appropriate referral linkages can be
provided to all students, especially those who are sexually active.
8. Government, through the GES, GHS and NYA should promote school
health clubs into all junior and senior high schools and Technical and
Vocational Institutions in order to promote positive sexual and
reproductive health behavior, using the life course approach to
development, so that investments in early childhood is built on during
adolescence.
9. We recognize the need to include persons with disabilities, including all
young people in their diversity – to acknowledge their unique
differences and the need to work together to design programmes and
policies and strengthen existing ones to ensure a better future for the
country, continent and the globe.
10. We recognize the need to make all sexual and reproductive
health information and services accessible to persons with disabilities in
all their diversity, and call on Government through the Ministries of
Health and Education to invest in the capacity building of educators and
service providers in disability and related issues to facilitate access to
sexual and reproductive health information and services by persons
with disabilities.We Adolescents, Students, Young People, Persons with Disabilities, SRHR
Partners, Academics, Policy Makers, Adolescent and Youth SRHR advocates
at the 2nd National Adolescent Reproductive Health Summit held at the La
Palm Royal Beach Hotel, have discussed issues on Adolescent Sexual and
Reproductive Health and Rights (ASRHR) and how to increase funding for
ASRHR.
We reflected and noted the critical roles Government must play to ensure that
adolescent SRHR issues such as – facilitating innovations, sharing good
practices, generating local level solutions while scaling up initiatives in
partnerships with Government and other partners – receive the needed
attention and financial investment, and call for the following:
1. Government should adequately resource and also empower state
institutions responsible for adolescent sexual and reproductive health,
such as the National Population Council (NPC), the Ghana Health
Service (GHS), the National Youth Authority (NYA) and the School
Health Education Programme (SHEP) of the Ghana Education Service
(GES) to fulfil their mandates of coordinating ARH/Youth policies and
implementing ARH/Youth programmes respectively, to ensure
maximum and synergistic use of resources.
2. Government should expedite action on the integration of Family
Planning into the benefit package of the National Health Insurance
Scheme to remove the cost barrier for services, in order to promote use
of sexual and reproductive health services especially by adolescents
and young people.
3. We recognize the changing funding landscape and dwindling donor
support as a result of the middle income status of Ghana, leading to
gaps in ASRHR financing and call on Government through the Ministers
of Finance, Health, Education, Youth and Sports to ring-fence budgets
for adolescent health in their annual budgets to enable Ghana reap
demographic dividend.
4. Government, through the Minister of Education should expedite work on
the integration of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) into the
school curriculum, as part of the ongoing review of the school
curriculum.
5. Government through the Minister of Education should expedite work on
the capacity building of teachers to effectively teach CSE, especially as
we go into universal free senior high school and double – track
education.
6. Parents, religious leaders and the media should support efforts by
Government to integrate CSE into the school curriculum and also clarify
values on adolescent sexuality.
7. Government, through the GES, GHS and NYA should expand the
establishment of adolescent/youth friendly corners and integrate them
into school based clinics, where sexual and reproductive health
information and services with the appropriate referral linkages can be
provided to all students, especially those who are sexually active.
8. Government, through the GES, GHS and NYA should promote school
health clubs into all junior and senior high schools and Technical and
Vocational Institutions in order to promote positive sexual and
reproductive health behavior, using the life course approach to
development, so that investments in early childhood is built on during
adolescence.
9. We recognize the need to include persons with disabilities, including all
young people in their diversity – to acknowledge their unique
differences and the need to work together to design programmes and
policies and strengthen existing ones to ensure a better future for the
country, continent and the globe.
10. We recognize the need to make all sexual and reproductive
health information and services accessible to persons with disabilities in
all their diversity, and call on Government through the Ministries of
Health and Education to invest in the capacity building of educators and
service providers in disability and related issues to facilitate access to
sexual and reproductive health information and services by persons
with disabilities.
11. The Ministry of Education, Ministry of Communications, the
National Youth Authority, Civil Society and NGOs should explore
opportunities to use technology, including social and digital media to
educate and provide accurate sexual and reproductive health
information to adolescents. This provides anonymity and confidentiality.
In this wise, we call on internet service providers and
telecommunication companiesWe Adolescents, Students, Young People, Persons with Disabilities, SRHR
Partners, Academics, Policy Makers, Adolescent and Youth SRHR advocates
at the 2nd National Adolescent Reproductive Health Summit held at the La
Palm Royal Beach Hotel, have discussed issues on Adolescent Sexual and
Reproductive Health and Rights (ASRHR) and how to increase funding for
ASRHR.
We reflected and noted the critical roles Government must play to ensure that
adolescent SRHR issues such as – facilitating innovations, sharing good
practices, generating local level solutions while scaling up initiatives in
partnerships with Government and other partners – receive the needed
attention and financial investment, and call for the following:
1. Government should adequately resource and also empower state
institutions responsible for adolescent sexual and reproductive health,
such as the National Population Council (NPC), the Ghana Health
Service (GHS), the National Youth Authority (NYA) and the School
Health Education Programme (SHEP) of the Ghana Education Service
(GES) to fulfil their mandates of coordinating ARH/Youth policies and
implementing ARH/Youth programmes respectively, to ensure
maximum and synergistic use of resources.
2. Government should expedite action on the integration of Family
Planning into the benefit package of the National Health Insurance
Scheme to remove the cost barrier for services, in order to promote use
of sexual and reproductive health services especially by adolescents
and young people.
3. We recognize the changing funding landscape and dwindling donor
support as a result of the middle income status of Ghana, leading to
gaps in ASRHR financing and call on Government through the Ministers
of Finance, Health, Education, Youth and Sports to ring-fence budgets
for adolescent health in their annual budgets to enable Ghana reap
demographic dividend.
4. Government, through the Minister of Education should expedite work on
the integration of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) into the
school curriculum, as part of the ongoing review of the school
curriculum.
5. Government through the Minister of Education should expedite work on
the capacity building of teachers to effectively teach CSE, especially as
we go into universal free senior high school and double – track
education.
6. Parents, religious leaders and the media should support efforts by
Government to integrate CSE into the school curriculum and also clarify
values on adolescent sexuality.
7. Government, through the GES, GHS and NYA should expand the
establishment of adolescent/youth friendly corners and integrate them
into school based clinics, where sexual and reproductive health
information and services with the appropriate referral linkages can be
provided to all students, especially those who are sexually active.
8. Government, through the GES, GHS and NYA should promote school
health clubs into all junior and senior high schools and Technical and
Vocational Institutions in order to promote positive sexual and
reproductive health behavior, using the life course approach to
development, so that investments in early childhood is built on during
adolescence.
9. We recognize the need to include persons with disabilities, including all
young people in their diversity – to acknowledge their unique
differences and the need to work together to design programmes and
policies and strengthen existing ones to ensure a better future for the
country, continent and the globe.
10. We recognize the need to make all sexual and reproductive
health information and services accessible to persons with disabilities in
all their diversity, and call on Government through the Ministries of
Health and Education to invest in the capacity building of educators and
service providers in disability and related issues to facilitate access to
sexual and reproductive health information and services by persons
with disabilities.
11. The Ministry of Education, Ministry of Communications, the
National Youth Authority, Civil Society and NGOs should explore
opportunities to use technology, including social and digital media to
educate and provide accurate sexual and reproductive health
information to adolescents. This provides anonymity and confidentiality.
In this wise, we call on internet service providers and
telecommunication companies and the private sector to support this as
part of their contributions through their corporate social responsibility.
12. Government should invest in ASRHR Monitoring, Evaluation,
Research and Learning platforms, particularly for younger adolescents
aged 10-14yrs to help tailor sexual and reproductive health information
and services to their needs.
Issued in Accra, 30th August 2018and the private sector to support this as
part of their contributions through their corporate social responsibility.
12. Government should invest in ASRHR Monitoring, Evaluation,
Research and Learning platforms, particularly for younger adolescents
aged 10-14yrs to help tailor sexual and reproductive health information
and services to their needs.
Issued in Accra, 30th August 2018
11. The Ministry of Education, Ministry of Communications, the
National Youth Authority, Civil Society and NGOs should explore
opportunities to use technology, including social and digital media to
educate and provide accurate sexual and reproductive health
information to adolescents. This provides anonymity and confidentiality.
In this wise, we call on internet service providers and
telecommunication companies and the private sector to support this as
part of their contributions through their corporate social responsibility.
12. Government should invest in ASRHR Monitoring, Evaluation,
Research and Learning platforms, particularly for younger adolescents
aged 10-14yrs to help tailor sexual and reproductive health information
and services to their needs.
Issued in Accra, 30th August 2018

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