Accelerating progress toward the reduction of adolescent pregnancy in Latin America and the Caribbean

Abstract

[Executive summary]. Although total fertility (number of children per woman) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) has declined over the past 30 years, adolescent fertility rates have only dropped slightly during that period and continue to be the second highest in the world, surpassed only by those in sub-Saharan Africa. Given the slow progress in mitigating this public health, developmental, human rights, and equality issue, Pan American Health Organization/ World Health Organization (PAHO/ WHO), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) held a technical consultation meeting on August 29–30, 2016, to take stock of the situation and develop consensus on strategic approaches and priority actions to help reduce adolescent pregnancy. The 38 meeting participants included global and regional experts and partners, Ministries of Health and Education, subregional integration mechanisms, nongovernmental organizations, youth networks, and indigenous and Afrodescendant communities...The meeting urged regional and country-level stakeholders to prioritize these actions in compliance with the political commitments expressed in regional commitments such as the Mexico Declaration and the Montevideo Consensus, and to maximize the momentum generated by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescents’ Health to increase investment in the health and wellness of adolescent girls in our Region.