Preface

The Region of the Americas has a long-standing commitment to protect and improve the health and wellness of our young persons, as expressed in the Regional Strategy for Improving Adolescent and Youth Health and the Plan of Action on Adolescent and Youth Health, 2010-2018. Since the adoption of the Regional Strategy in 2008 and the Plan of Action in 2009, there have been various major developments on the global and regional level, including the inauguration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) era and the launch of the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (2016-2030), with new commitments and mandates that directly affect the positioning of young people in the global and regional health and development agenda.

These new developments create the demand and opportunity for PAHO and the Region to take stock of the current status of the health of young people and the regional response, in order to make the changes needed to ensure that all young people in the Region not only survive, but thrive, and have the opportunity to realize their rights to physical and mental health and well-being. As the Plan of Action on Adolescent and Youth Health is nearing its end, it is also timely to look forward to the formulation of a new adolescent and youth health agenda at this time. One that is more integrated to the life course and to factors to promote and improve their health and development.

As described in Part I of this report, we currently have the largest cohort of adolescents and youth in the history of the Americas. This creates a window of opportunity for fast economic growth, if the appropriate social and economic investments are made in health, education, and the economy. Investment in young people is essential to harness the benefits of the demographic dividend that several countries in the Region are experiencing. However, we also note the challenges young people in the Region face, including low secondary school enrollment and completion rates, poverty, and unemployment.

Part II describes the current status of the health of young people, illustrating that the past years brought limited health gains for adolescents and youth. Each year, more than 80,000 adolescents aged 10-19 years die in the Region of the Americas, many due to preventable causes, such as homicide, suicide, and traffic fatalities. Many more suffer from ill health due to mental health challenges, nonfatal injuries, and other causes. Adolescent pregnancy, unsafe abortions, HIV, and STIs continue to threaten the health and wellness of young people in the Region.

In Part III, the report highlights the significant progress made in the development and implementation of regional and country-level actions, including the establishment of adolescent health programs in most countries, strengthening of the availability and use of strategic information, expansion of health services for adolescents, capacity-building of stakeholders in a range of adolescent health topics, and introduction of school- and family-based interventions.

Unfortunately, we have to conclude that these advances have not yet translated into major health gains for young people in the Region. Urgent and targeted action is required to update and adapt the regional and country-level responses to accelerate progress towards improvement of the health and well-being of young people in the Americas.

Based on the lessons learned in the regional response, Part IV of the report proposes key priorities for action to accelerate progress towards the improvement of the health and development of young people in the Region. The recommendations coincide with the spirit of the SDGs and the lines of action proposed by the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health: programs and interventions must be based on evidence and prioritize the groups living in situations of vulnerability. Actions must be intersectoral and address the social determinants of adolescent and youth health, and young persons must be engaged as partners in the design, implementation, and monitoring of interventions targeting them.

Young people are at the center of the SDG agenda, and strategic investment in the health and development of young people is key to achievement of the SDGs. PAHO remains committed to supporting the Region in achieving these goals.

Andrés de Francisco Serpa
Director
Family, Health Promotion and Life Course Department