The period of adolescence (10–19 years old, with ‘youth’ defined as up to 24 years) represents a critical window of opportunity when young people are learning to make independent decisions and forming their own attitudes and beliefs. However, the period of adolescence is also a time of vulnerability and many adolescents experience threats to their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Early and forced sex; child, early and forced marriage; other forms of harmful traditional practices and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) are common among adolescents, particularly girls, in low and middle income countries.

Our approach seeks to promote positive adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights outcomes by addressing the multi-level and interrelated drivers of poor sexual and reproductive health and rights among adolescents. The approach includes a set of gender-transformative and evidence-based interventions (which should be tailored to the age and life-stage of the adolescents and to diverse contexts) to be implemented at each level of the socio-ecological model: with adolescents, parents, families and communities, at health systems level and at the policy level.