Logo UNFPA Asia-Pacific Regional Youth Video Competition

UNFPA is hosting an Asia-Pacific Regional Youth Video Competition that will further recognize the key role of young people in tackling issues on SRHR and CSE. These videos will act as advocacy and awareness-raising to further strengthen policies and programmes of SRHR and CSE in the region. Furthermore, it enables them to showcase their solutions and inspire others.

Young people constitute a growing proportion of the world’s population, with larger numbers than ever before. Globally, this age group comprises of over 1.8 billion young people of which the Asia Pacific countries account for nearly 1 billion . Young people are shaping social and economic development and building the foundation for the region’s future .

Yet, young people face many obstacles to achieving sexual and reproductive health (SRH), including lack of access to information and lack of skills to safeguard their well-being. Adolescent pregnancy is increasing in many countries in the region, contrary to global trends of decreasing adolescent pregnancy. Currently nearly 5 million adolescent girls give birth each year in the Asia Pacific region, with over 3000 deaths due to pregnancy or birth complications. Nearly 600,00 young people are living with HIV in the region with 300 young people infected every day. Both adolescent pregnancy and HIV can be prevented through comprehensive sexuality education with a focus on gender equality.

Harmful gender norms often assign rigid gender roles to men as providers and women as care givers, prizing physical strength, aggression and sexual experience in men, and submissiveness, passivity and chastity in women. Taboos about menstruation also influence young girls’ knowledge, attitudes and self-confidence at puberty. Harmful gender norms lead to acceptance of male dominance and violence against women including coerced sexual intercourse and rape. Gender based violence also occurs against others who do not conform to heteronormative masculine “ideals”, including men who have sex with men (MSM), and transgender and intersex people. , Schools, which should be safe spaces for learning, have a high prevalence of school-related gender based violence, including bullying and psychosocial and physical violence. ,

Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) both in and out of school is critical for equipping young people with the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for fostering healthy relationships. Evidence has shown that curriculum-based CSE that includes a focus on gender and human rights can delay sexual debut, decrease frequency of sexual intercourse, decrease the number of sexual partners, reduce risk-taking, and increase the use of condoms and contraception.

CSE increases knowledge of one’s rights within sexual relationships and promotes the development of socio-emotional skills, such as interpersonal communication skills and decision-making, that are necessary for young people to express healthy sexuality and develop healthy intimate relationships. , Research shows that socio-emotional learning (SEL), a core concept of CSE, can also yield improved mental well-being (reductions in substance abuse, anxiety, depression, and suicide ideation), reductions in bullying and harassment and increased academic achievement.

CSE encourages young people to critically reflect on how social and cultural norms positively and negatively impact sexual behavior and influence gender roles in their communities.

Awards & Prizes

The total award value is USD 3000, to be shared by two winners.

Round-trip travel to attend the share-a-thon in bangkok, thailand in november 2018

Assignment as a youth reporter: opportunity to work with the unfpa asia-pacific regional office with videos, articles and social media covering highlights of the meeting

The videos will be showcased in front of an international audience

For more information please check the Link