In Türkiye, young people between the ages of 15-24 make up 16% of the population. The United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA Türkiye, is meeting with youth to invest in youth, who will shape the future. UNFPA carries out awareness and advocacy activities related to its mandates, particularly on sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence.

UNFPA Türkiye works with young people to provide them with the skills, information and support they need to make informed decisions about their bodies, lives, families, communities, countries and the world. To increase youth access to information, services and opportunities, as well as to support their inclusion in decision-making mechanisms, UNFPA Türkiye is organizing a series of  “University Talks” especially with graduate students and academicians. 

In this context, UNFPA Türkiye Representative Hassan Mohtashami visited 7 leading universities in Türkiye. He met with academicians and graduate students at Ankara University, Bahçeşehir University, Dokuz Eylül University, Ege University, Hacettepe University, Istanbul University and Koç University.

In these meetings, Hassan Mohtashami briefed youth on the UNFPA’s global mandate, the 3 transformative goals – ending the unmet need for family planning, ending preventable maternal deaths, and ending violence and all forms of harmful practices against women and girls. He explained how sexual and reproductive health is essential for gender equality and development. 

UNFPA Türkiye Representative highlighted that there could be different population and fertility rate goals for countries and all could be accepted, however, the right of women to access contraceptives and make their own decisions about their bodies is essential and should be ensured. He quoted: “Irrespective of the population policy of any country, the rights of women to have access to contraceptives should be secured and guaranteed.” Mohtashami also underlined the importance of accessing free contraceptives particularly for those women who have at least 3 children, live in rural areas and are from poorer households.

In order to support young people to make informed decisions about matters affecting their bodies, lives, families and communities, Mohtashami explained the response and protection mechanisms against gender-based violence, the harms of early pregnancies and child, early and forced marriages and the necessity of comprehensive sexual health education. He explained UNFPA’s ongoing programmes on these issues and answered the questions of the youth. 

Türkiye has a young population of 13 million young people between the ages of 15-24. UNFPA Türkiye is working on improving access of young people to information and services; as well as developing their skills and leadership, their organizations, and organizations that support them, in order to ensure that diverse adolescents and youth have effective voices not only in UNFPA programming, but also in advocacy for national policies and programs. UNFPA Türkiye aims to create healthy societies by investing in young people who will shape the future.