Chiang Mai, Thailand – 17 February 2024 – UNFPA Thailand,  the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, is hosting the visit of Dr. Felipe Paullier, the first United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, to Youth Festival at Tha Pae Gate, Chiang Mai, a famous Thailand’s northern province, today as to jointly listen to voices of young people, especially those of ethnicity and vulnerable groups, to share about their recommendations for equal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights. Youth Festival is jointly organised by UNFPA Thailand and partners in Chiang Mai including RaksThai Foundation, Chiang Mai Provincial Public Health Office under the Ministry of Public Health, CSOs – Khon Wai Sai, Palang Jo and young people. Youth Festival is the activity under the Empowering our Youth Project by UNFPA Thailand and Reckitt. 

Youth Festival is a public event hosting all diverse groups of young people including ethnic youth living in the north of Thailand to present voices and recommendations about adolescents’ rights to sexual and reproductive health, focusing on equal access to family planning services, access to condoms, prevention of adolescent pregnancy and support to adolescent mothers. 

“We, UNFPA, Deputy Chiang Mai Governor, Head of Chiang Mai Public Health Center, Head of Chiang Mai Social Development and Human Security Officer, Reckitt and CSOs, are here today to listen what young people share about their situations on sexual and reproductive health and recommend ways to make the services to be friendly, rights-based and accessible equally especially the vulnerable population including those of ethnic groups,” said Ms. Siriluck Chiengwong, Head of Office, UNFPA Thailand. 

Alongside in listening to voices of young people today is Dr. Felipe Paullier, the first United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, who joined this Youth Festival as part of his visit to Thailand to attend the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) at UNESCAP from 20 to 23 February 2024.

The Empowering Our Youth Project: Access to SRHR and Family Planning for All is the partnership of UNFPA Thailand, Reckitt, Provincial Public Health Centers, Provincial Social Development and Human Security Offices, CSOs and young people. The project aims at empowering youth and women of all backgrounds, especially those of vulnerable groups, on rights and choices for sexual and reproductive health (SRHR), family planning and empowerment of teen mothers. With the focus to empower young people and teen mothers to access Information and knowledge of contraceptive use, condom use and family planning, participating young people are to be confident in their rights and informed choices of their sexual and reproductive health. 

About UNFPA Thailand

UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. Under the UN Country Team in Thailand, UNFPA’s cooperation with Thailand is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2022-2026 , and the 13th National Economic and Social Development Plan (2023--2027) of Thailand and international normative standards, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).

The country programme focuses on “leaving no one behind”, with three focuses as follows:

1. The platforms for adolescents and youth to acquire knowledge and skills on sexual and reproductive health and rights, focusing on family planning, and to participate in the implementation and monitoring of policies related to the Prevention and Solution of the Adolescent Pregnancy Problem Act, 2016 (AP Act) are functional and inclusive.
2. The strengthened policy implementation for the prevention of and response to gender-based violence.
3. The policy environment is strengthened through the utilisation of evidence on population changes and megatrends, including population ageing and climate change, for
   the development and monitoring of population policies and programmes.

The full Country Programme Document, please visit, here, or the factsheet of UNFPA in Thailand, here.

For more information, please visit our website at https://thailand.unfpa.org/..

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