Unesco 'Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future'

Unesco 'Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future' Official page of UNESCO's 'Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future (O3)' Programme.

|

For the first time, national and regional decision-makers from health and education in Eastern and Southern Africa are joining together to review young people’s sexual health needs and concerns and mobilise political commitment, investment and intensified action across 21 countries in the ESA region. YOUNG PEOPLE TODAY, TIME TO ACT NOW has the potential to change the course of the HIV epidemic in

the Eastern and Southern Africa and make quality sexuality education and youth-friendly health services a reality to young people. Some of the challenges young people face:
Currently, every hour, an estimated 50 young people, mostly women, become infected with HIV. Eastern and Southern Africa is world’s most affected region with 430,000 new infections each year among young people aged 15-24 with an estimated 2.6 million other young people living with HIV. Other challenges:
Less than 40% of young people know basic information about HIV; key health services are often withheld from adolescents and young people due to their age, their marital and/or legal status; teenage pregnancy rates remain high with 20% of young women having given birth by the age of 17 in a number of countries. Early pregnancy contributes to high drop-out rates from education and poses a serious threat to the health of adolescent girls including high rates of maternal death. In addition, sexual or gender-based violence affects 35% of young women in the region.

“It is time for urgent action by our governments, young people and civil society to re-affirm the rights of young people to a better future. We have a duty to make good quality HIV and sexuality education and sexual and reproductive health services a reality for all.” Professor Sheila Tlou, Director of UNAIDS Regional Support. Working with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC), the campaign aims to get the region’s Ministers of Health and Education to pledge firm support to a “Commitment” of bold action and leadership in support of their youth populations. This commitment-building process will culminate in a high level meeting on 7 December 2013, bringing together the 42 ministers at the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) in Cape Town, South Africa. To support the campaign or for more information: www.youngpeopletoday.net. The campaign represents a partnership of: UNESCO, UNAIDS, UNICEF, WHO, EAC, SADC, the Ford Foundation, the Swedish Government, the Church of Sweden, IPPF, INERELA+ and NORAD as well as civil society organisations, adolescents and young people across the world.

For young people to make informed and healthy choices, they need access to accurate information—and the confidence to ta...
07/09/2026

For young people to make informed and healthy choices, they need access to accurate information—and the confidence to talk about it.

UNESCO, in collaboration with the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, officially disseminated the Parent–Child Communication (PCC) Toolkit for community use.

The Toolkit supports parents, guardians and caregivers to have open, age- and culturally-appropriate conversations with adolescents and young people about sexual and reproductive health.

Because sometimes, a conversation at home can be the first step towards better choices.

| UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa

What if every young person's experience at a health facility could help improve services for millions more?In Zambia, UN...
07/09/2026

What if every young person's experience at a health facility could help improve services for millions more?

In Zambia, UNESCO's O³PLUS Project, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, has convened a Follow-up Stakeholder Review Meeting on the Youth Friendly Health Services Satisfaction Scorecard (YFHS³) to review findings from recent field pilots and agree on the next steps for national rollout.

The YFHS³ is more than a scorecard. It is a platform that amplifies the voices of adolescents and young people, helping health providers better understand their experiences related to accessibility, confidentiality, responsiveness, and quality of care.

Following successful pilots in Higher and Tertiary Education Institutions and Ministry of Health facilities, stakeholders are working together to refine the tool and chart a pathway for integrating youth feedback into routine health system monitoring and quality improvement. Because when young people are heard, health services work better for everyone.

| Unesco Regional Office for Southern Africa | United Nations in Zambia | Embassy of Switzerland to Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe

In Rongo Sub-County, Kenya, 30 UNESCO-trained mentor teachers are helping equip 180 educators across 30 primary and juni...
01/09/2026

In Rongo Sub-County, Kenya, 30 UNESCO-trained mentor teachers are helping equip 180 educators across 30 primary and junior schools with practical skills to deliver quality life skills education.

Supported by Youth for Sustainable World, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, under the Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future (O3) Programme, with funding from the Governments of Ireland and Sweden, the teacher-led cascade model is helping schools build capacity from within.

The results? A 500% increase in trained educators — and, more importantly, a growing network of teachers who can continue mentoring and supporting their colleagues long after the training ends.

“This training has given me practical skills and the confidence to facilitate life skills education more effectively,” says Centor, a mentor teacher from Minyenya Comprehensive School.

When we invest in teachers, we invest in learners — equipping them with the knowledge, skills and confidence to make informed choices and navigate life’s challenges.

| UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa

Entering university is more than just the beginning of an academic journey. It is the start of a new chapter filled with...
31/08/2026

Entering university is more than just the beginning of an academic journey. It is the start of a new chapter filled with independence, opportunities, responsibilities, and important life choices.

Through UNESCO’s Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future Plus (O3 PLUS) project, in collaboration with trained healthcare workers and peer educators, more than 3,500 first-year students at Mulungushi University in Zambia received orientation sessions designed to equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate university life safely, confidently, and responsibly.

The sessions covered critical issues affecting young people, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, mental health, prevention and response to gender-based violence, healthy relationships, youth-friendly health services, and responsible decision-making.

By providing essential health and well-being information to students at the start of their university journey, UNESCO’s O3 PLUS project is helping create a safer, healthier and more inclusive campus environment.

In Kenya, 22 presenters and producers from 10 community radio stations came together for a three-day training in Mombasa...
28/08/2026

In Kenya, 22 presenters and producers from 10 community radio stations came together for a three-day training in Mombasa County, this week.

The UNESCO-led training was designed to strengthen their knowledge and skills on key issues affecting adolescents and young people, including school-related gender-based violence, ending early and unintended pregnancies, mental health, and substance abuse.

But the conversation doesn’t stop here.

As a next step, the radio stations will host three live community radio dialogues and develop radio skits, creating spaces for communities to engage openly on young people’s health and well-being.

Kenya is one of 10 countries across East and Southern Africa working with community radio stations to strengthen health and well-being messaging for young people.

| UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa

In Zimbabwe, UNESCO, through the O3 PLUS Phase II Programme, supported the Fawezi-convened Inception Meeting and Worksho...
28/08/2026

In Zimbabwe, UNESCO, through the O3 PLUS Phase II Programme, supported the Fawezi-convened Inception Meeting and Workshop on Student Health and Well-being Policies, bringing together key stakeholders to advance stronger, safer and more inclusive higher and tertiary education institutions.

Led by the Ministry of Higher & Tertiary Education Science & Technology Development, with support from the Embassy of Switzerland to Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe O3 PLUS is taking a national systems-strengthening approach across Zimbabwe’s 52 public Higher and Tertiary Education Institutions, with FAWEZI directly engaging with 21 institutions.

The workshop provided a space for government, institutions, civil society and youth-focused organisations to identify gaps and develop practical roadmaps for gender-responsive, student-centred and rights-based policies, including the prevention of and response to Gender-Based Violence.

How do we make schools safer for every learner? It starts with respect, empathy and educators who are equipped to nurtur...
27/08/2026

How do we make schools safer for every learner? It starts with respect, empathy and educators who are equipped to nurture both.

Continuing from last week’s training in KwaZulu-Natal, this week, UNESCO brought together 20 education officials from Gauteng for a Training of Trainers on Connect with Respect, South Africa.

Part of the Preventing Gender-Based Violence and Building a Fairer & Safer Society through Schools project, funded by the EU in South Africa, the training equipped educators with practical knowledge and skills to help young people build healthy, respectful relationships, challenge harmful gender norms and create safer, more inclusive school communities.

By investing in educators today, we are helping create schools where every learner can feel safe, respected and empowered to thrive.

| United Nations in South Africa | Unesco Regional Office for Southern Africa | Department of Basic Education South Africa

This week, UNESCO’s O3 PLUS Programme is supporting the Training on Digital Data Collection and Database Management for ...
27/08/2026

This week, UNESCO’s O3 PLUS Programme is supporting the Training on Digital Data Collection and Database Management for Tertiary Institution Campus Clinics in Zimbabwe, bringing together IT administrators and healthcare workers from the 12 institutions that participated in Phase I of O3 PLUS.

In partnership with the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council, UNESCO has successfully developed an electronic health database that digitalises the paper-based data collection tools currently used by campus clinics.

The training is strengthening the capacity of clinic personnel to use digital data collection tools, while establishing a sustainable system for the routine monitoring of health service delivery across tertiary institutions.

By moving from paper-based to digital systems, campus clinics are better positioned to generate timely, reliable data that can inform quality health services and evidence-based decision-making for students.

| Unesco Regional Office for Southern Africa | Embassy of Switzerland to Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe

27/08/2026

Address

Herford Office Park, 90 Bekker Road, Vorna Valley
Johannesburg
1686

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Unesco 'Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future' posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share