Ministry of Health of Nepal is excited to announce the country’s first national conference on adolescent health and development – ‘my Health. my Rights. our Future.’ – which will take place in Kathmandu on May 2-3, 2016.

Better adolescent health is both a shared aspiration and a responsibility for the future. What will it take to design and deliver effective interventions for adolescent health and development? And how can we get there? The conference will tackle these questions by bringing together key stakeholders in adolescent health from across Nepal and the region – including policy makers, practitioners, researchers, adolescent and youth representatives, and the media – to discuss how to advance the agenda for better adolescent health. Together with partners from the international community, development agencies, the private sector and the research community, conference participants – including adolescent and youth leaders – will consider opportunities for local, regional and global cooperation aimed at promoting the health and overall development of adolescents.

‘my Health. my Rights. our Future.’ is being organised by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the Family Health Division of the Department of Health Services, in partnership with World Health Organisation (WHO),  United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UNICEF, Family Planning Association of Nepal (FPAN), Marie-Stopes International and other development partners.

Goal
The goal of the conference is to accelerate the implementation of commitments and agreements on adolescent health and development in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and Nepal’s national policies, strategies and plans.

Objective

• To share scientific evidence on adolescent health and development, as well as insights from practitioners and adolescents into the successes and limitations of current strategies and interventions at regional, national and local levels
• To provide a multi-sectoral platform for discussing and building a shared understanding, identifying gaps and opportunities, and developing a way forward for adolescent health, development and rights

Themes
The conference will cover a range of themes, in line with the national strategy on adolescent health and development.
Theme 1: A supportive and safe environment for adolescents
Theme 2: Sexual and reproductive health services
Theme 3: Adolescent nutrition: Malnutrition (under and over nutrition) and food habits
Theme 4: Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), HIV and adolescents
Theme 5: Gender-based violence, human trafficking, child marriage and adolescent pregnancy
Theme 6: Tobacco, alcohol and drugs: Risk factors for non-communicable diseases
Theme 7: Emotional health of adolescents, depression and suicide
Theme 8: Adolescents in post-disaster situations

Methodologies
This conference is not only about young people, it is for young people as well! The programme will feature many dynamic and interactive sessions designed to encourage dialogue and participation. Interactive plenary discussions, small working group sessions, workshops, tech spaces, an innovation fair, photography exhibits, film, theatre, and arts and crafts – these are just some of the ways the conference programme will seek to engage the views and contributions of adolescents and youth.  Some scientific papers by young researchers will be presented orally or as posters.

On the second day, UNFPA Nepal Goodwill Ambassador Manisha Koirala will speaking during a TED-like talks session called "The Undying Human Spirit". She will be sharing her life experience -- "Battling the Cancer" -- during the session.