Supporting the Needs of Young People in Armenia

What is UNFPA doing ?

UNFPA began its support to population programmes in Armenia in 1995. Since then it has assisted a wide range of activities to improve the awareness and skills of young people in sexual and reproductive health and to improve the help improve the quality and accessibility of reproductive health information and services across the country.

In its current programme for Armenia, UNFPA is seeking to

• Improve the awareness and skills of young people in reproductive health
• Develop a comprehensive information, education and communication strategy to increase the use of integrated reproductive health services
• Provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Education and Science and to the Ministry of Health to develop a health education and family life curriculum for secondary and tertiary educational institutions
• Support out-of-school activities to encourage healthy lifestyles
• Introduce guidelines on what youth-friendly service services need to be provided and how that can be achieved
• Establish on a pilot basis youth-friendly centers operated by the Ministry of Health, NGOs, universities and the army.

See details of UNFPA's individual projects in Armenia.

UNFPA has also pioneered the use of Peer Education in Armenia. Peer education involves well-trained and motivated young people who actively attempt to reach and help young people of the same age and background as themselves in order to pass on the knowledge and skills they will need for their health and well-being. Peer education is relaxed and can take place in formal or informal settings. This has become a popular way of addressing issues of sexual and reproductive health including sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS. For more about Youth Peer activities in Armenia, click here

Together with an NGO, the Association For Family and Health of Armenia (AFHA) , UNFPA has started a peer education programme for high school and university students and also those who are no longer at school on sexuality and reproductive health issues, including HIV/AIDS.

UNFPA also runs workshops and seminars especially designed for sexually active young people to inform and educate them on sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS. Peer educators have been trained to work in local schools and other institutions.

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