Transformative research on adolescent health and rights: Best practices and lessons learned
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action, IDRC is organizing a series of webinars on the intersection between gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in Central and West Africa. The webinars will provide a platform for knowledge exchange, showcasing experiences and fostering dialogue on effective multi-stakeholder engagement in advancing adolescent SRHR in the region.
During the first webinar in this series, experts discussed the current situation of adolescents in Central and West Africa in terms of their needs, priorities and expectations, as well as how they view the current policy environment regarding adolescents' reproductive health, rights and issues related to GBV. The experts also discussed the knowledge gaps, the research needed to advance adolescent SRHR and end GBV in Central and West Africa, and how the lack of evidence complicates the development of appropriate policies and programs to support the health and wellbeing of adolescents in the region. A bilingual recording of the webinar is available, with interpretation in English or French.
This second webinar, entitled “Transformative research on adolescent health and rights: Best practices and lessons learned,” will focus on the role of action research in developing strategies to combat GBV and advance adolescent SRHR in the region. Speakers will present successful approaches, methods, strategies and best practices in stakeholder engagement in the context of GBV and adolescent SRHR research and programming.
IDRC has funded transformative research over the past decade to enhance SRHR and tackle GBV in Central and West Africa, and some of this research will be showcased during the event. Ramata Thioune and Francine Sinzinkayo, senior program specialists in IDRC’s Central and West Africa Regional Office in Senegal, will be joined by grantees representing four research projects, and one guest. The projects concerned and their representatives are:
- Strengthening access to quality comprehensive health education in The Gambia, represented by Phebian Ina Grant Sagnia, senior nursing officer and principal health research officer, Ministry of Health, The Gambia.
- Combating gender-based violence and strengthening psychosocial and reproductive health care for adolescent girls in Senegal, part of the ADOS initiative, represented by Serigne Mor Mbaye, clinical psychologist and director of the Centre de Guidance Infantile Familiale de Dakar, Senegal.
- Socio-cultural determinants of sexual violence and child marriage in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), represented by Jacques Emina, founder of the Population and Health Research Institute in the DRC and policy adviser at UNFPA in Senegal.
- Responding to sexual violence against adolescents in Burkina Faso for the respect of their sexual and reproductive rights, represented by Nathalie Sawadogo, professor and researcher, senior lecturer at the Institut Supérieur des Sciences de la Population, Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Burkina Faso.
- Research projects from the International Center for Advanced Research and Training (ICART) associated with Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege’s Panzi Foundation, Bukavu, DRC, represented by Marie Hatem, director of ICART.
The webinar will be hosted in English and French with simultaneous interpretation.
Register now and join our speakers for this second webinar in the series to learn more about impactful transformative research in the field of adolescent SRHR and GBV in Central and West Africa.