Month: December 2021

The 4th IAAH (International Association for Adolescent Health) MENA (Middle East and North Africa) Region Adolescent Health Conference was held from 1-3 December 2021 in Hurghada, Egypt.

Theme

The main theme of the conference was: “Adolescent Care, Leaving No One Behind”. The conference aimed to break the silence around the unmet needs of the large and increasing group of disadvantaged adolescents in the Middle East and North Africa region who are chronically ill or disabled, belong to an ethnic minority, live in a disadvantaged socio-economic environment or are displaced due to political violence. It also emphasized that investing in the health, development and well-being of adolescents in general is the most cost-effective investment a nation can make for the future.

Declaration

The declaration of the conference reminds states of the necessity to systematically strengthen health systems, while ensuring a multi-sectoral approach, so as to encompass the socio-ecological determinants of adolescent health. It also emphasizes the life course perspective to health and that failing to address adolescents’ health needs will inevitably impact future adult health and subsequent generations. The declarations calls to:

• Acknowledge adolescence as a distinct period in life.
• Adopt equity-based policies and strategies that are inclusive of all adolescents.
• Recognize the fact that learning, education, and health are deeply intertwined, and therefore, through strong collaborations between Ministries of Health and Education, support each and every school to be a health promoting center.
• Capitalize on all settings of adolescent learning (formal, non-formal, and informal) to integrate aspects of health promotion and prevention.
• Take active measures to educate adolescents about sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in formal, informal, non-formal education, and work settings and in manners that are culturally sensitive.
• Recognize that adolescents and youth are true change agents and genuinely involve them in active and transformative participation.
• And more…

More information: Conference website

The 4th IAAH (International Association for Adolescent Health) MENA (Middle East and North Africa) Region Adolescent Health Conference, organized by the Arab Coalition for Adolescent Health & Medicine (ACAHM), was held from 1-3 December 2021 in Hurghada, Egypt. The conference was held under the patronage of the League of Arab States and attended by 190 participants from 38 countries and 15 International and Regional organizations.

Theme

The main theme of the conference was: “Adolescent Care, Leaving No One Behind”. The conference aimed to break the silence around the unmet needs of the large and increasing group of disadvantaged adolescents in the Middle East and North Africa region who are chronically ill or disabled, belong to an ethnic minority, live in a disadvantaged socio-economic environment or are displaced due to political violence. It also emphasized that investing in the health, development and well-being of adolescents in general is the most cost-effective investment a nation can make for the future.

UNESCO Chair contributions

Didier Jourdan gave a keynote speech on the theme: Supporting every community and every school to become a foundation for healthy lives. He addressed the following five ideas:

1. Education and Health are mutually intertwined
2. Learning for Health and Well-being
3. Creating a safe, inclusive and healthy learning environment
4. Political and strategic levers for change
5. Building school’s capacity to become a foundation for healthy lives

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Didier Jourdan, MinChien Tsai and Silvia de Ruiter led a plenary workshop on Genuine Participation of adolescents. During the workshop they shared why genuine participation is critical for the success of health interventions, provided country examples and introduced the roadmap for a global collaboration “nothing about them, without them”.

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More information: Conference website