The ICPD PoA acknowledges that adolescents have sexual and reproductive health (SHR) needs that must be addressed. It urges the governments to address adolescent SRH issues, including unwanted pregnancy, unsafe abortion and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, through the promotion of responsible and healthy reproductive and sexual behaviour, including voluntary abstinence, and the provision of appropriate services and counselling specifically suitable for that age group. The adolescent population in the region is a large and neglected one. In 2017, almost one in four persons in Asia, was below the age of 15. Around half of this population comprises of girls, and girls suffer from the double burden of age and gender and are usually further neglected. In addition, if we place an inter-sectional web, adolescents and girls, are further marginalised due to poverty, geographic reach, minority (ethnic, religious) status, migrant status, and sexuality including sexual orientation and gender identity. This brief is part of ARROW’s State of the Region Report on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD+25), developed as a result of monitoring of 25 years of implementing the ICPD Programme of Action in the region by ARROW and our partners.
