Regional Director WHO South-East Asia, Ms Saima
Wazed’s address at the inaugural of Regional Consultation on Adolescent
Pregnancy Policy/ Legal and Programmatic barriers to adolescents and young
people’s access to health information and services across South Asia, in
Kathmandu, Nepal, today.
Our South-East Asia Region (SEAR) accounts for 26% of the population of the planet, and 29% of the global adolescent population (10-19 years).
Adolescents in our Region face both gender specific as well as shared health challenges, including high mortality, and morbidity rates. Nearly 670 adolescents die every day, mostly from preventable causes.
Almost 6 million teenage girls, aged 15 to 19, give birth annually in our Region. Adolescent pregnancy is closely linked to child marriage: a common harmful practice in the region, driven by underlying social and gender norms.Watch the Regional Director’s video speech: