A new report, Sexual and reproductive health of young people in Asia and the Pacific, produced by the Burnet Institute, Australia for UNFPA in collaboration with UNESCO and WHO reviews the status of young people’s 
sexual and reproductive health in 32 countries across Asia and the Pacific – focusing on the impact of existing policies and programmes, and showcasing best practices in the region.
There are almost one billion young people aged 10-24 years living in Asia and the Pacific, comprising 27% of the total population in this region. The newly published report calls on countries in the region to urgently expand and improve sexual and reproductive health services as well as comprehensive sexuality education for young people.
Interesting truths to come from the report include:
- In Pakistan only 28% of young men were aware that a condom could prevent HIV
- In Viet Nam the internet is wildly used as a space to learn about sexual relationships
- In 2013 an estimated 210,000 adolescents were living with HIV in Asia and the Pacific
- Vaccinating all 12-year-old girls with the HPV vaccine, would reduce cervical cancer deaths by 76%
- Forced first sex is particularly common among young people who report sex before the age of 15
- In 17 countries male same-sex behaviour is illegal and punishable by imprisonment, or, in the case of Iran, death.
- In the Marshall Islands, Pakistan, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu, over 30% of girls aged 15-19 had experienced physical or sexual violence.
- Close to 11 million unsafe abortions took place in Asia and the Pacific in 2015, and 34% of these were performed on women under 25 years of age.
The report recommends governments launch more and better research to address knowledge gaps, especially research on young, unmarried and sexually active young people, including adolescents aged 10 to 14. It calls for increased efforts to build a supportive environment for young people’s sexual and reproductive health to address socio-cultural barriers, laws and policies, and earlier comprehensive sexuality education that reaches everyone to ensure, in this era of the Sustainable Development Goals, that no young person is left behind.
Key recommendations from the report include:
- Support research to address important knowledge gaps
- Support efforts to create a more supportive environment for young people’s SRH
- Increase the quality and coverage of comprehensive sexuality education
- Improve access to youth-friendly health services
- Support research and approaches targeting key young populations
- Increase youth participation in policy and programming