Technical guidance for prioritizing adolescent health

Adolescent health has become a priority on the global agenda. Many low- and middle-income countries increasingly recognize that achieving the Sustainable Development Goals requires greater investments in adolescents’ health and development. National governments and partners see the importance of prioritizing adolescent health within their larger health programmes – including reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health – and want to know where and how to invest their resources and efforts.

This technical guidance, developed by the UNFPA- and WHO-led Adolescent Working Group of Every Woman Every Child, aims to support countries to both advocate for increased investments in adolescent health and to guide strategic choices and decision-making for such investments to be reflected in national development policies, strategies or plans. It describes a systematic process for identifying the needs, priorities and actions for adolescents to survive, thrive and transform their societies as envisioned through the Global Strategy of Every Woman Every Child. Data sources, resources and tools for conducting a situation assessment and prioritization exercise are also included.