Inclusion of neglected voices in policy making; The establishment of Adolescent and Youth Mechanism
Sierra LeoneThematic Area:
ASRH
Location:
Sierra Leone
Partner:
Health Alert Sierra Leone, YARHNET, YAMSiL
Timeline:
2022 - 2024
Donor:
USAID - MOMENTUM
Inclusion of neglected voices in policy making: The establishment of Adolescent and Youth Mechanism
Aim
The 2022 TAAC country landscaping exercise found a huge gap in the systematic inclusion of adolescents and young people. Ongoing policy making processes that desperately needed young people’s voices included the refresh of the National Teenage Pregnancy Reduction Strategy, the FP2030 Country Commitments, and the Family planning Costed Implementation Plan. Furthermore, TAAC identified opportunities for youth engagement in fostering public sector accountability for domestic resources allocation to ensure resources for honoring the strategies and commitments. Adolescent and youth TAAC members engaged the government, specifically the Ministry of Health, to establish a recognized and respected entity, to be led by them and their peers. The country collaborative youth-led partners led the design of the entity, to be called the Adolescent and Youth Mechanism, and continually followed up with government until its launch in February 2024.
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Focus:
Youth-led Advocacy and Accountability
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Key results:
Between 2022 and 2024, youth-led efforts culminated in the following results:
● Nationally validated Terms of Reference for the establishment of the AY mechanism, with a 16-member committee and presence in all 16 districts of Sierra Leone.
● AY representatives integrated into district coordination platforms between the Councils and district health teams.
● Two annual Adolescent and Youth Family planning Conference bringing national and subnational youth, civil society, government and donor leaders together to deliberate on national adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health issues of the day.
o Innovation hackathon competition in each conference where young people design and where competition winners lead their realization.
● Abridged version of the country FP2030 commitments co-created and printed, which the AY Mechanism ultimately used in the engagement of decision makers across all 16 districts
● Adolescents and youth contributions incorporated into the renewed FP2030 commitment through drafting evidence briefs and holding youth consultations.
● Youth voices reflected in the Family Planning Costed Implementation Plan (FPCIP) 2023–2027.
● Participation in validation of the National Teenage Pregnancy Reduction Strategy 2025–2030.
● Successful advocacy for inclusion of heat-stable carbetocin in the Essential Medicines List (2022).
● Annual participation in domestic resource mobilization at the national and national level
o Advocacy wins related to AYSRH budget lines in Port Loko and Kambia District Councils.
o District-level initiatives, like the 'Council Friday Initiative' in Pujehun, Kailahun, and Western Rural districts to promote youth-driven policy dialogues.
Implications:
Meaningful inclusion of adolescent and youth has been elusive for decades. The civil society advocacy and accountability collaborative model adopted in Sierra Leone has demonstrated that systematic inclusion of young people in policy making is possible, impactful and sustainable.
