Adolescence is the phase of life between childhood and adulthood, from ages 10 to 19. Young adolescents are those and 10-14 years, while older adolescents are those 15-19 years.  It is a unique stage of human development and an important time for laying the foundations of good health. Adolescents experience rapid physical, cognitive and psychosocial growth. This affects how they feel, think, make decisions, and interact with the world around them.

Despite being thought of as a healthy stage of life, there is significant death, illness, and injury in the adolescent years. Much of this is preventable or treatable. During this phase, adolescents establish patterns of behaviors – for instance, related to diet, physical activity, substance use, and sexual activity – that can protect or put at risk their health and those around them, now and in the future.

To grow and develop in good health, adolescents need information; opportunities to develop life skills; health services that are acceptable, equitable, appropriate, and effective; and safe and supportive environments. They also need opportunities to meaningfully participate in the design and delivery of interventions to improve and maintain their health. Expanding such opportunities is key to responding to adolescents’ specific needs and rights.

• High level advocacy and policy dialogue with member states, inter-government agencies, regional economic communities, other UN agencies and partners for placement of health and wellbeing of adolescent high on national development agenda.
• Facilitating assessment of policies and laws to address bottlenecks and to promote the health and wellbeing of adolescents at structural level of ecology.
• Provision of leadership to evidence based comprehensive government led multi-sector programming for health and wellbeing of adolescents guided by the second edition of Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents.
• Supporting institutional capacity building for members states and partners for Increasing adolescents’ access to quality services through actions on three delivery platforms: health services, schools, and digital platform for reaching adolescents directly with information and services.
• Establishment and operationalizing joint accountability mechanisms including monitoring and evaluation at regional and country and sub-national levels.
• Monitoring and reporting of trends of health and wellbeing including access to interventions, availability, and quality of services for decision making and accountability for the health and wellbeing of adolescents as a stage of the life course continuum.