International technical guidance on sexuality education

The International technical guidance on sexuality education is a technical tool that presents the evidence base and rationale for delivering comprehensive sexuality education to young people in order to achieve the global Sustainable Development Goals. The guidance identifies the characteristics of effective comprehensive sexuality education programmes, recommends essential topics and learning objectives that should be covered in curricula for all learners, and outlines approaches for planning, delivering and monitoring comprehensive sexuality education programmes.

Its purpose is to support curriculum developers and programme managers to create and adapt comprehensive sexuality education curricula that is appropriate to their context, along with effective implementation and monitoring measures. It is also a resource for advocacy in favour of young people’s health and well-being.

The guidance was developed through a consultative process aimed at ensuring quality, acceptability and ownership, with inputs from practitioners and experts, including young people, from different regions around the world.

The guidance is for practitioners involved in the design, delivery and evaluation of sexuality education programmes both in and out of school, including: government education, health and other ministries; non-governmental organizations; youth workers and young people; and other stakeholders working on quality education, sexual and reproductive health, adolescent health and gender equality.