4 April 2022, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. The Safeguard Young People (SYP) programme is official launched in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, with the Hon Patrobas Katambi,the deputy Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office; Labour, Youth, Employment and Persons with Disability United Republic of Tanzania, on behalf of the Hon. Joyce Ndalichako, Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office; Labour, Youth, Employment and Persons with Disability United Republic of Tanzania.

“The "Safeguard Young People Program in Tanzania" is part of the implementation of the National Agenda. Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to urge all Sectors and stakeholders implementing the Safeguard Young People Program in Tanzania to ensure that the implementation of the Program is in line with the National Goals for Investment in Health and Youth Development, but also in line with Vision 2025”. Hon Patrobas Katambi,the deputy Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office; Labour, Youth, Employment and Persons with Disability United Republic of Tanzania

The Safeguard Young People is a co-funded programme by UNFPA and Swiss Embassy, to be implemented in Tanzania for three years (2021- 2022) costing $5,100,000. This programme acknowledges and builds on the role of young people as change agents. Partnering with young people is at the core of this programme.  The program has three main outcomes such as; to Improve policy and legal environment for addressing young people’s issues, policies and programs at the national and sub-national levels. Adolescents and Young people’s knowledge and skills towards the adoption of protective sexual behaviors is increased and adolescent and Youth-friendly and integrated SRH and HIV services for adolescents and young people are of quality and scaled up.

“The SYP programme acknowledges and builds on the role of young people in making this continent better. Young people cannot be ignored any longer, and SYP builds in making sure that young people’s voices are loud, precise and clear. Partnering with young leaders to move faster and deeper as we ensure the realization of SRHR for all of them in the region and in the country.” Mark Bryan Schreiner, Representative, UNFPA Tanzania.

At the national level, the program will focus on interventions that creates a conducive socioeconomic, legal and policy environment and capacity development for adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health alongside youth participation, including effective coordination and partnership. At the Regional and District levels, the interventions will focus on strengthening the capacity of institutions to deliver quality Comprehensive Sexuality Education/Life skills (CSE) and Social Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) for in school and out of school young people. It will also support the scaling up of integrated youth friendly service provision in selected regions of Kigoma, Shinyanga, Simiyu, Dodoma, Dar es Salaam and in Zanzibar (Unguja and Pemba)

“This program has come at the right time whereby on July, 2022, UNFPA will start implementing our 9th Country Program Document for Five Years, in which all aspects of the Safeguard Young People Program has been imbedded in our Five Years plan. I would like to assure that UNFPA stands ready, as we have demonstrated over the years, to continue championing the youth agenda through SYP - working with and for youth and look forward with great optimism, that we are all united and ready, to deliver a world where every young person’s potential is fulfilled”. Mark Bryan Schreiner, Representative, UNFPA Tanzania.

Recently, the UN System in Tanzania, together with the Government signed the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2022-2027 which provides a framework for the UN’s support to Tanzania to achieve national development priorities, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and regional aspirations and commitments including Africa Agenda 2063.

“The four strategic priority areas of the UNSDCF were developed based on an analysis of Tanzania’s development landscape which enabled the identification of the areas where the UN is best positioned to leverage its comparative advantages to accelerate progress on national development priorities and the SDGs. These areas include strengthening social services empowering women and girls; transforming the economy; strengthening national governance systems; building resilience and assisting with climate change adaptation among many others”. Zlatan Millisic, Resident Coordinator, United Nations System in Tanzania.

In Tanzania, not all young people face the same reality when it comes to their education and health. There are still high rates of teenage pregnancy, child marriage, HIV and STI transmission. Sexual, physical, emotional and psychological violence are common forms of violence affecting young people. Low educational attainment and unemployment are among other challenges. On the other hand youth with disabilities, which is a significant group are deprived of the opportunities for accessing education, health and employment. The SYP program compliments UNFPA’s existing work on improving the sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights (SRHR) status of young people, and will be implemented in  5 selected regions in Tanzania Mainland, that is, Kigoma, Shinyanga, Simiyu, Dodoma, Dar es Salaam; and in Zanzibar (Unguja and Pemba).

“The Embassy particularly commends that SYP integrates gender- transformative and climate change aspects. We hope this programme not only improves young people’s access to key services but also helps communities understand and challenge the social norms that perpetuate inequities between boys and girls and those that negatively affect our planet.” H.E. Didier Chassot Ambassador of Switzerland to Tanzania and Representative to the East African Community.

Safeguard Young People (SYP) is a regional programme which started in 2013 for countries within Southern Africa, that is, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Its goal is to improve the health and wellbeing of adolescents and young people aged 10-24 years. The programme has three phases in which each phase lasts three years. The SYP Programme has a governance and management architecture agreed upon with the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) that is co-funding this programme with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

In 2020/21, SYP has been expanded to include countries in the Eastern Africa Region: Rwanda and the United Republic of Tanzania. In Tanzania, the programme is within the current work of UNFPA’s 8th Country Programme of support (2016 – 2021) and is foreseen to further evolve into the 9th Country Programme that will be developed within 2021 for the period 2022 – 2027. At the National level, the programme is focusing on creating conducive political, legal and policy environment and developing the capacity for Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights and Youth Participation. It will also support the strengthening of effective coordination and partnerships in Tanzania Mainland and in Zanzibar.

The SYP Programme is in-line with the Government’s National Accelerated Action and Investment Agenda for Adolescent Health and Wellbeing (NAAIA). This support is aimed at advancing the vision and priorities of the United Republic of Tanzania building on national development needs and priorities as articulated in the United Nations Development Assistance Plan II (UNDAP II) 2016/17- 21/22. UNDAP II which in turn is aligned with the priorities and needs stipulated in Tanzania's Second National 5 Year Development Plan 2016/17 – 2020/21 and the Zanzibar Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty III (MKUZA III) 2016/17 – 2020/21. 

The SYP programme acknowledges and builds on the role of young people in making this continent better. Young people cannot be ignored any longer, and SYP builds in making sure that young people’s voices are loud, precise and clear. Partnering with young leaders to move faster and deeper as we ensure the realization of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for all of them in the region and in the country.

“I argue all of us who are here, Government Ministries, Developing Partners, UN family, Youth Serving and Youth Led Organizations, Young People and Private Sectors and Media to work together harmoniously in putting young people’s agenda forward to reap the demographic dividend – Nothing For Youth, Without Youth!” Zlatan Millisic, Resident Coordinator, United Nations Tanzania.

UNFPA - proud to support the United Republic of Tanzania in collaboration with the Embassy of Switzerland - in its effort to realize the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents and young people. The endorsement of the Safeguard Young People Programme by the Government is key in ensuring the success of the SYP in Tanzania.