By Seth Broekman

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Remarks by Seth Broekman, country representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Zambia office, at the Multisectoral Consultative Forum on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Framework for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) for Demographic Dividend, on 1 October 2025 in Lusaka, Zambia.

On behalf of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) East and Southern Africa Regional Office, it is my honour to welcome you to this timely and imperative technical workshop on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and the demographic dividend.

This week marks a powerful moment of co-creation and partnership. We are joined by a diverse group of representatives of governments, researchers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, young people, and civil society leaders from across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

We gather here with a shared commitment to advancing the human capital of our continent – primarily its young population – through strategic investments in education, employable skills, governance, and health, especially SRHR.

Two months ago, in July in Johannesburg, we jointly convened a diverse group of young people from across the SADC region, including parliamentarians, researchers, entrepreneurs, and civil society leaders. I thank the organisers for creating an environment that fostered meaningful dialogue among these young professionals and activists. I strongly believe that insights shared during the July youth conference, as well as the demographic dividend work done previously in all the SADC countries by UNFPA, the African Institute for Development Policy (Afidep), and other partners, and in other upcoming high-level interventions, will be instrumental in shaping our nations’ development agendas, particularly in advancing SRHR and harnessing the demographic dividend.

With over half our population under 30 years, we have a unique opportunity to accelerate growth and reshape development through wise investments. Agenda 2063 highlights youth as Africa’s greatest resource; if healthy, educated, and economically empowered, they can drive the demographic dividend and enable countries to achieve economic growth.

The 2016 African Union Demographic Dividend Roadmap, a landmark continental framework, was endorsed and adopted by all SADC countries. This adoption led to significant positive outcomes by prioritising comprehensive and coordinated development and investment, allowing these nations to capitalise on the youth bulge prevalent across much of the continent.

Realising the benefits of a rising demographic dividend requires intentional investment in young people – providing them with knowledge, practical skills, and access to opportunities to pursue their dreams. When youth are truly empowered, they can actively contribute to national development, economically as well as socially. This, in turn, equips governments to provide essential services to all populations.

It is essential to recognise that youth who are well equipped are more likely to experience improved health and financial resilience as they age, thereby reducing future social and economic burdens on the state. Considering the youthful population in our region, investing in youth today is the best preparation for tomorrow – it is a proactive strategy for long-term national development reflecting the demographic trend shift of Africa in the near future. Thus, the demographic dividend we are creating today means direct reinvestment in social and economic development for tomorrow that will create a greater positive impact over generations in our region.

It is important to point out that harnessing the demographic dividend is not automatic. It requires well-calculated and intentional investments directly targeting young people, including young women and adolescent girls, now. It is imperative to acknowledge that we have specific objectives to accomplish in order to fulfil our commitments to the youth we serve.

Despite notable key achievements presented here at the conference, the road ahead is complex and ever-changing. It demands that we integrate various sectors, be vigilant, have urgency and agility, and use high-quality evidence for policy and programme development.

We cannot afford to allow the gains achieved so far to be rolled back on our watch. So please, as you take the key actions and outcomes of this conference, I urge you to continue to engage, deliberate, take stock, sense-check, and plan ahead. Think of the Sustainable Development Goals, the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action, the African Union Commission Agenda 2063, national development plans, and, more importantly, the young people who look up to us.

But the good news is this: we still can act!

So, I ask: how do we ensure youth are front and centre in solving these issues today?

Allow me to conclude with the following key points that I would like to emphasise:

1. Strengthen our narrative: Focus on the undeniable truth that only healthy, educated, skilled, protected, and economically and otherwise empowered adolescents and young people can drive the human capital formation essential for socio-economic transformation in all countries to harness the demographic dividend. We must develop inclusive policies, legislation, delivery systems, financing mechanisms, and accountability frameworks to close gaps in multidimensional inequalities faced by adolescents and young people.

2. Accelerate leadership action with and for young people: Translating political commitment into measurable actions needs to be backed by accountability mechanisms that purposefully open the space for young people to participate in national development and decision-making processes. On the other hand, the question will always be: what will young people do with the opportunity when it is given? There is therefore dual responsibility for young people as rights holders as well as duty bearers. Youth-led accountability will need to be monitored and upheld to the utmost standards of integrity.

3. Leverage the power of high-quality data: To truly “leave no one behind”, timely, quality, and disaggregated time-series data and evidence are crucial. This will enable us to identify and target the populations furthest behind with essential investments and tailored interventions.

4. Be intentional about scale and pace: While leveraging innovative solutions and digital technology, we must consider populations currently excluded by these accelerators. Both innovation and digital technology must be used safely, ethically, and in a regulated manner that causes no harm, ensuring inclusive scaling of interventions that lead to transformative change.

5. Ensure resilient and responsive systems: Systems must be able to deliver the 2063 Agenda for Africa’s youth. Applying a human rights-based approach as Africa builds forward better will be key. This will ensure systems are responsive to youth voices and needs, while ensuring all actors respect, uphold, and promote rights and choices for all. In addition, our systems will need to be more resilient to shocks, disruptions, and risks that have the ability to constrain the fulfilment of economic, social, political, and cultural rights of young people.

Sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people, especially adolescent girls and women, are fundamental components of social development and should not be regarded as optional. SRHR should be presented within the framework of facilitating education, workforce participation, inequality, and demographic dividend – as a compelling policy narrative for engaging governments and partners.

As UNFPA, I assure you that when young people are empowered, they become agents of change. They build innovation, drive sustainability, and shape just governance. We must harness this energy that the continent is blessed with.

Together, we can build an Africa where every person, especially every young person, has the chance to thrive.

Let us ensure that no opportunity is wasted – and no voice is left unheard.