The Strengthening Access, Inclusion and Leadership for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SAIL-SRHR) project, used the 13th IAAH World Congress on Adolescent Health in Jamaica to highlight its work with adolescents and strengthen dialogue around youth access to sexual and reproductive health services.
The Congress, held from May 13–15, 2026 at Ocean Coral Spring Hotel in Trelawny, brought together adolescent health professionals, researchers, policymakers, NGOs, youth advocates and young people from across the world. Under the theme “Beyond Awareness… Resilience, Reimagining, Responding,” the event provided a timely space to examine the evidence, services, programmes and policy approaches needed to improve adolescent health and well-being. The International Association for Adolescent Health (IAAH) describes the Congress as a global gathering for those working with and for young people, including health practitioners, researchers, policymakers, NGOs and youth health advocates.
For SAIL-SRHR, participation in the Congress was both strategic and necessary. The project hosted a booth, giving participants an opportunity to learn more about its work in Jamaica and its focus on improving access, inclusion and leadership in adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Nichole Morris, Field Manager/Gender Specialist at Alinea International, which is partnering with local civil society organisations (CSOs) to implement the project, said SAIL-SRHR wanted to be part of the Congress because of the project’s strong alignment with adolescent health and rights.
“We are working in the field of sexual and reproductive health rights, and this Congress gives us a chance to add our voice to the importance of just getting adolescents involved,” Morris said. She noted that the Congress also created space to better understand how adolescents are responding to the issues around them, including climate change, policies, laws and access to services.
Over the three days, the booth became an important platform for knowledge sharing. Morris said the exchanges with participants from different countries were especially valuable as SAIL-SRHR continues to advocate for movement on sexual and reproductive health policies in Jamaica.
She explained that discussions with representatives from other countries provided insight into how adolescent SRHR policies can support healthcare workers and help young people access care in non-judgmental ways. “It was very important to just engage with other persons from across the world who were able to discuss their sexual and reproductive health right policy that they have for healthcare workers,” she said.
Morris pointed to Guyana as a particularly useful example because of its proximity to Jamaica and shared Caribbean context. “Just seeing how it works, especially to such a close neighbour, shows us that it’s something that we can continue to lobby the government to do in order to make access much better for the adolescents in healthcare,” she said.
A major part of SAIL-SRHR’s work has been advocacy. Morris noted that the project worked with civil society partners to develop policy briefs, including recommendations focused on improving adolescent access to SRHR services. One priority she pointed out is enabling healthcare workers to provide services to persons under 16 who visit clinics, especially in life-threatening situations such as the need for STI treatment, without parental consent.
She also highlighted the issue of close-in-age exemptions, explaining that young people, especially young men, can be criminalised for sexual activity with persons under 16 years old. Morris said SAIL-SRHR is urging the government to consider the realities of adolescent relationships and the public health implications for young people.
Visibility was another important reason for participating in the Congress. Morris said the booth helped participants understand what SAIL-SRHR has achieved with adolescents, including adolescent health clinics, peer education and grants. “This is a project about adolescents, for adolescents, and it was completed with adolescents,” she said.
The response from participants was encouraging. According to Morris, some attendees asked how elements of the project, including its grant model, could be replicated in their own countries. For her, that was a powerful sign of the project’s wider potential.
“The SAIl-SRHR project is here in Jamaica, but other people might replicate it,” she said. “So the success will not only be here in Jamaica, but will continue.”
The Strengthening Access, Inclusion and Leadership for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SAIL-SRHR) project is funded by Global Affairs Canada in partnership with Alinea international and is being implemented by the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities (CVC) and the Jamaica Family Planning Association (JFPA).
