Moses Magadza
The second regional engagement meeting on adolescents’ access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) began on Tuesday, calling for stronger regional action to improve SRHR services for adolescents across East and Southern Africa.
Held under the theme “Step Up 4 Adolescents SRHR Access: Collaborating for Equitable SRHR in East and Southern Africa”, the two-day gathering has drawn policymakers, youth advocates, parliamentarians, health experts, and civil society organisations from more than 12 countries.
The chief executive officer of the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC), Farai Machinga, was the guest of honour.
He called for urgent, coordinated regional action to remove the legal, cultural, and systemic barriers that continue to deny adolescents their right to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services across East and Southern Africa.
He said the meeting was a “timely and strategic dialogue that unites government leaders, policymakers, development partners, and, most importantly, young people themselves, who are the heartbeat of our region’s future.”
The gathering brought together parliamentarians, an official from the SADC Parliamentary Forum, health officials, youth networks, and civil society representatives from across the region.
Machinga stressed that every young person, including those with disabilities, deserves access to quality, youth-friendly SRH information and services “without fear, stigma, or restriction.”
He emphasised that such access “is not a luxury but a necessity, a right, and a cornerstone of sustainable development.”
Despite progress made in many countries, he warned that “age-of-consent laws, parental consent requirements, and persistent stigma within health facilities continue to silence young voices and limit their autonomy.”
The consequences, he said, include “rising STIs, including HIV infections, high rates of teenage pregnancies, preventable maternal deaths, unsafe abortions, child marriages, and cycles of poverty that hold back not just individuals but entire communities.”
While applauding national commitments to adolescent health, Machinga cautioned that “implementation often lags behind.”
He lamented that “policies may exist on paper, but too many young people still find themselves excluded from the very services designed to protect their well-being.”
He said the regional platform provided by the Step Up 4 Adolescents SRHR Access Campaign, a joint initiative of Youth Advocates, Restless Development, and the Centre for the Study of Adolescence, with support from Sweden through the Hivos Regional SRHR Fund, offered a chance to transform these commitments into tangible regional action.
Machinga urged participating countries to “learn from each other and harmonise strategies,” stressing that “no single country can tackle these issues alone.
The realities our adolescents face are not confined by borders; neither should our solutions be.”
He outlined key priorities for the region. They include prioritising adolescent SRHR in national budgets and frameworks; strengthening data systems to track progress and inform policies; investing in capacity building for health workers and educators; and ensuring meaningful youth engagement in programme design and evaluation.
He highlighted the principle of “Nothing for us, without us” and called for the institutionalisation of youth participation.
Machinga challenged delegates to ensure the meeting produces measurable outcomes. He called for a regional action plan with clear commitments, accountability mechanisms, and follow-up measures that will ensure sustainability.
“Together, we can move from isolated efforts to a united regional movement for equitable SRHR access,” he said.
He reminded delegates that behind every statistic is “a young person with dreams, vulnerabilities, and potential.”
Policies, he said, must translate into practice, with resources allocated to “confidential, respectful, and non-judgemental” services.
He reaffirmed Zimbabwe’s commitment to act on the key recommendations emerging from the meeting.
Speaking at the same occasion, Hivos Southern Africa regional director Joy Mabenge also called for a coordinated regional approach to remove systemic barriers that continue to deny adolescents and young people their SRHR.
Mabenge said the gathering represented a pivotal moment for governments, civil society, and young people to co-create solutions that ensure equitable access to SRHR services.
“We gather here in the spirit of a shared mission: to dismantle the barriers that prevent adolescents and young people in East and Southern Africa from claiming their fundamental sexual and reproductive health and rights,” he said.
“The consequences – rising HIV infection rates, adolescent pregnancies, and disrupted education – are not just statistics. They are urgent calls to action.”
Mabenge highlighted that age-of-consent laws, parental consent requirements, and pervasive stigma continue to restrict access to essential SRHR services for adolescents.
These challenges, he noted, undermine both the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the broader goal of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
He said that the regional SRHR Fund campaign, Consent2Access, under which the meeting was convened, aims to galvanise collective advocacy and policy reform.
“This convening has been intentionally designed as a process of co-creation. The presence of young people from across the region is not symbolic. It is foundational. Your lived experiences are our most powerful evidence, and your voices must shape the strategies and policies we develop,” he stated.
Mabenge urged governments to demonstrate leadership by ensuring that the meeting’s outcomes translate into tangible policy changes while encouraging civil society and youth networks to sustain advocacy efforts. He also commended partners such as Sida and the Ford Foundation for their continued support.
“We must move beyond fragmented national responses and build a coordinated regional front,” he emphasised.
He added, “The journey toward equitable access begins with the commitments we make in this room. Let us make them bold. Let us make them count.”
He said that sustainable progress will only be achieved through genuine collaboration.
“Let us listen deeply, engage meaningfully, and build consensus. Together, we can ensure that every adolescent and young person in East and Southern Africa can access the SRHR services they need freely, safely, and without discrimination.”
The meeting ended on Wednesday.
*Moses Magadza is the media and communications manager at the SADC Parliamentary Forum.
Captions
Photo 1 – The chief executive officer of the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC), Farai Machinga. – Photo: Contributed
Photo 2 – Hivos Southern Africa regional director, Joy Mabenge. – Photo: Kuda Pembere
Photo 3 – Delegates at the second edition of the regional engagement meeting on adolescents’ SRHR access. – Photo: Kuda Pembere
