The Adolescents and Youth constituency  is composed of nearly 150 youth-led organizations and networks that have been leading or implementing sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health projects at national, regional or global levels for at least two years.

• International partners, including PMNCH, UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA, the Child Health Initiative, Plan International and the UN Major Group for Children & Youth, issued a global Call to Action for Adolescents  to ensure that adolescents as a population group are not left behind by the universal health coverage (UHC) movement.
• PMNCH published a political think piece in The BMJ, “Uniting for adolescents during COVID-19 and beyond”, co-authored by 30 high-level champions and influencers, including youth leaders, heads of state, ministers of health and international development and heads of UN agencies, showing the great range of support for adolescent well-being. 
• The UN H6+ Technical Working Group on Adolescent Health and Well-Being, including representatives of PMNCH, UNAIDS, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Major Group for Children and Youth, UN Women, World Bank, World Food Programme and WHO, have developed and agreed on a Definition and Conceptual Framework for Adolescent Well-Being which was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health in October 2020.  
• Adolescent Well-being BMJ Collection was published in March 2023 during the International Adolescent Health Week, which included a total of 16 articles. The collection examines how the domains of adolescent well-being impact future outcomes, and how these can be supported and promoted by evidence-based policymaking and programming. Within the collection, the argument is put forward that the world's adolescents cannot be supported to reach their full potential without addressing the multidimensional nature of well-being in this group, and by working across sectors such as health and education. In addition, a three-part podcast series was published by December 2023, touching on the aspects of health, education and connectedness from the adolescent well-being framework.   
• Rolling out the "Advocating for change for adolescents toolkit": With support from PMNCH and Women Deliver, the Advocating for Change for Adolescents toolkit was created by young people for young people, to lead and influence change in their communities as well as to hold governments accountable for delivering on their commitments to prioritize adolescents’ health and well-being. The toolkit provides youth-led and youth-serving organizations with the resources and strategies they need to become effective champions and advocates. Grantees have adapted the toolkit to their country’s context and developed country-specific advocacy roadmaps, which are being implemented with activities at national and subnational levels. After four successful phases, the toolkit is now in its fifth phase of implementation with partners across Asia and Africa.   
• The Global Forum for Adolescents: In 2022, the 1.8 Billion Young People for Change Campaign was launched and, as a highlight, the Global Forum for Adolescents (GFA) was held 11-12 October 2023 building on a multi-year effort of knowledge synthesis and capacity strengthening of adolescent and youth-led organizations. The GFA, 11-12 October 2023, had a total of 9015 registrations, over 5000 live participants in 22 sessions, 8 product launches, and 3 plenaries, organized by 117+ partners, with 234 speakers (about half of whom were young people). In addition, there are approximately 2000 on-demand views of the content. 126 National Events were organized by PMNCH partners in 50 countries to advance the Adolescent Well-being (AWB) agenda attended by over 7000 people, more than half of whom were under 25 years old. 
• What Young People Want Initiative: What Young People Want is an initiative aimed at gathering the perspectives, opinions, and aspirations of young people across the world. The goal of this campaign was to create a platform for young people to have their voices heard and to bring attention to the issues that matter most to them. A dynamic dashboard provides insights and data gathered from young people. The What Young People Want Initiative received close to 1.5 million responses from 90 countries, by around 1000 mobilizers. Building on the What Young People Want Initiative and the various consultations in the run up to the GFA, the Agenda for Action for Adolescents (AAA), a high-level call for action for financial, policy and service delivery commitments to enhance action on adolescent well-being, was launched.  
• Commitments for Adolescent well-being: During the Forum, momentum was leveraged by world leaders and high-level participants who responded to the demands of adolescents and youth regarding their well-being needs. Governments and partners committed to more investments, better policies, and smarter programmes aligned with the seven asks of the Agenda for Action for Adolescents determined by adolescents and youth themselves. These commitments prioritize adolescent well-being through financial pledges, policy changes, and increased investments in young people. The GFA was a key moment to launch and amplify these commitments towards adolescents’ well-being. Commitments were announced from a wide range of stakeholders, including 18 Member States, 2 Regional Committees, 13 philanthropic and funding organizations, 2 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other organizations including inter-governmental organizations and health-care professional associations. 
• Adolescents in a Changing World – The Case for Urgent Investment: This report, developed in partnership with WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA and Victoria University focuses on the imperative of investing holistically in adolescents and their well-being. Such investments can reduce inequalities and help to protect the human rights of adolescents. As is evident throughout the report, the economic and social returns from a wide range of investments to address adolescent well-being are significant. The report makes a compelling case for investing in adolescents, they are living in a world facing multifaceted crises, and they will be tomorrow’s changemakers and leaders. The staggering cost of inaction is estimated at US$110 trillion over a period of 27 years (2024-50). That amounts to 7.7% of the total GDP of those countries included in the models, which themselves include around 80% of the world’s population. The report provides valuable insights into interventions where investments will yield high returns, including those focused on health services and multisectoral interventions, for example on HPV, TB, myopia, education and training, child marriage and road accident prevention. This evidence base is crucial for policymakers, practitioners, researchers, educators, donors, and civil society organizations as we map the road ahead for a better and more sustainable future. 

pmnch@who.int