A presentation at the Symposium “Current State of Global Adolescent Health and the Challenges: Preparing for the Post-SDG Era”

On Nov. 1 and 2, 2025, the 40th Annual Conference of the Japan Association for Global Health was held at Teikyo University, Japan, focusing on community-based SDGs. Komasawa Makiko ,Visiting Fellow, JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development (JICA Ogata Research Institute), spoke at the mini symposium titled “Current State of Global Adolescent Health and the Challenges: Preparing for the Post-SDG era.”

Adolescent health began to attract attention in the field of global health after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, basic data remains insufficient and the development and implementation of effective interventions are still limited. The symposium aimed to share these challenges and raise awareness among governments and civil society.

The session was chaired by Okawa Sumiyo, Institute for Global Health Policy Research (iGHP), Bureau of Global Health Cooperation, Japan Institute for Health Security, who opened the session by explaining the purpose of the event. Five speakers then shared their perspectives.

Obara Hiromi, Department of Health Planning and Management, Bureau of Global Health Cooperation, Japan Institute for Health Security, provided an overview of the global increase in adolescent population and the complex health risks that adolescents face today—such as conflicts, climate change, migration, unemployment, and harmful commercial products and practices. Fujiya Rika, Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care, Keio University, discussed health challenges and health literacy among youths in Palestine, a region where conflicts are constantly taking place. Okawa reported findings from a study of HIV-positive youths in Zambia, focusing on their sexual behaviors and disclosure of HIV status to their partners.

Komasawa presented results from the implementation phase of the research project “Intervention Study on Unintended Teenage Pregnancy in Uganda ” by the JICA Ogata Research Institute. The project provided sex education and access to condoms to pre-teens and teenagers through mobile money shops in Uganda. Finally, Hosozawa Mariko, iGHP, shared her insight on the dissemination and future use of adolescent health indicators, as a member of the Global Action for Measurement of Adolescent Health (GAMA) Advisory Group under WHO, along with findings from an international comparative study on adolescent mental health using big data.

The discussion that followed generated numerous questions and comments among the audience, who continued to ask the speakers questions after the session closed. The great interest among participants—researchers, development partners and students in the field of global health—was evident throughout.

The organizers emphasized that addressing adolescent health and wellbeing will become even more critical in the post-SDG era. They highlighted the importance of accurately understanding the current state of youths at the global, national and community levels and of researchers disseminating actionable insights. The symposium marked an important first step, creating a significant opportunity for collaboration. The speakers will continue working to raise awareness and share research findings on adolescent health.

For a list of publications on healthcare from the JICA Ogata Research Institute, please visit the link below: