Context

Young people make up nearly half of the global population, with approximately 88% living in developing countries.¹ The Asia-Pacific region alone accounts for 60% of the youth population, amounting to approximately 750 million persons.²

In Asia, young people are heterogeneous, and have come from all walks of life. They are in-school and out of school, migrants, workers in the formal and informal sectors and unemployed, from rural and from urban areas. They are of diverse sexualities and gender identities, they live with HIV, they are sex workers, and they have disabilities. They are young girls and boys who have limited access to education due to many contributing factors. They face multiple challenges, such as poverty, migration, religious fundamentalisms, education, employment and health that intersect with harmful traditional and cultural norms.³

Therefore, the needs and rights of this large subgroup deserve greater attention, especially in light of the challenges they currently face. In terms of exercising and realising their SRHR, young peopleexperiencemany of the same challenges and barriers than their adult counterparts, but face greater stigma and discrimination, especially when it comes to issues relating to sex and sexuality. Young people, too, suffer the consequences of poverty, food insecurities, political unrests, geographical displacement, climate change, and the like, and how these intersect with their sexual and reproductive health and rights should be recognized and addressed.

The Commission on Population and Development 2014 can play a critical role in changing the course of the battle for young people's SRHR in Asia. If change is to occur within countries, governments should first commit to improving the experience of young people in realising their SRHR.