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The 4Ws (Who, What, Where, Whom) matrix for the adolescents and youth services is a crucial tool used by the Adolescents and Youth Working Group to provide an overview of essential services available for this group of populations in Afghanistan, as well as the actors implementing programs in specific locations across the country. The data collection took place in September 2023 and the findings of the report will be helpful for the humanitarian actors to minimize the gaps and avoid the duplication of efforts

The spread of infectious diseases remains a global threat. When widely available treatments exist, the challenge becomes one of rapid policy intervention to treat and prevent further spread. This study addresses a highly treatable, sexually transmitted infection - syphilis - amid population displacements in the Venezuela-Colombia border region, most dramatically manifested in the rise of congenital syphilis among newborns. The findings show that, in addition to informational prevention campaigns and access to free treatment, small monetary incentives for individuals who struggle to meet basic necessities are an effective and low-cost strategy when compared to the costs of untreated syphilis, including perinatal morbidity and mortality secondary to gestational syphilis.

UNFPA supports the Youth Health Line (YHL), launched in 2012, as a nationwide, youth friendly health service to provide information and counseling for adolescents and youth on issues related to their health and reproductive health. This Standard Operating Procedure for YHL provides a critical resource for the administration and day-to-day management and is designed to provide direction to all staff responsible for carrying out the administrative and managerial functions of the YHL. It is intended to guide UNFPA Implementing Partners in running the YHL with a consistent approach to ensure improved access and quality of services provided to adolescents and youth in Afghanistan.

This report draws on the successes of the Ahlan Simsim initiative—the largest early childhood development intervention in the history of humanitarian response—reaching millions of children and caregivers across the Middle East with the support they need to learn, grow and thrive. Experts involved with Ahlan Simsim have outlined crucial learnings and recommendations for what it takes to deliver innovative solutions in the most complex settings and to sustain impact for children.

This tool has been developed to support the integration of GBV and SRH interventions in humanitarian settings within the Arab region. Aimed at GBV and SRH service providers and program managers, it facilitates the initiation, strengthening, or scaling up of integrated approaches. Rather than prescribing a standardised approach, the tool emphasises the importance of tailoring interventions to specific contexts. It shares promising practices, identifies potential obstacles, and offers practical tips for overcoming challenges associated with integrated GBV and SRH approaches.

A growing body of evidence shows that people with disabilities have historically been denied their sexual and reproductive health rights, despite having the same sexual and reproductive health needs as people without disabilities, and continue to face many barriers to accessing these lifesaving services. This interactive evidence gap map, developed as part of the Women’s Integrated Sexual Health (WISH) programme, collates evidence on ‘what works’ to enable access to sexual reproductive health services for persons with disabilities in low and middle-income countries.

The EQUAL research consortium is working to generate evidence on effective approaches to deliver life-saving maternal and newborn health (MNH) care in countries affected by conflict including in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Nigeria, Somalia, and South Sudan. These are also four countries experiencing among the poorest MNH outcomes worldwide. This information has been documented in four MNH Country profiles which will be updated annually.

To examine these complexities, the EQUAL research consortium conducted political economy analyses in Somalia, South Sudan, Nigeria, and DRC with an additional policy study completed at the global level. Employing a shared conceptual framework known as the health policy triangle, these studies investigated the political, economic, and health system influences on maternal and newborn health (MNH) prioritization amidst crisis and conflict. Utilizing a single-case descriptive design, each study leveraged desk reviews and key informant interviews to gain deeper insights into MNH policies, processes, content, and actor dynamics in each context.

In response to the critical gap in evidence regarding midwifery education programs in low-income, conflict-affected regions, the Somali Research and Development Institute (SORDI), Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health, and the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) conducted rapid assessments of midwifery pre-service education in Yobe State, Nigeria, and in the Banaadir and Galguduud regions of Somalia. Findings revealed disparities between the two contexts, with Nigerian schools meeting a higher percentage of standards compared to those in Somalia. Gaps, particularly in leadership, infrastructure, and resources, were identified in Somalia, while Nigeria faced challenges in staffing, preceptor capacity, and support for faculty and clinical practice sites.

Against the backdrop of limited research on the linkage between disability and childhood violence in humanitarian settings, and the poorly understood health consequences, the researchers examined the prevalence of childhood sexual, physical, and emotional violence by disability status among females and males aged 13–24 years with and without disabilities in refugee settings in Uganda.