The adoption of the Sustainable Development Objectives and the new Education 2030 Agenda has led UNESCO to update its global strategy focused to strengthen the connections among education, health and gender equality.  Given the obvious aspects of the relationships among these issues, UNESCO’s work now places greater emphasis on the role of the school in promoting emerging issues in the global education, HIV and health agendas.

UNESCO’s mandate is clear:  support the Member States to provide education that supports health life styles.  This education must promote and protect gender equality through safe and equitable contexts for learning, and promote wellbeing, quality education, and learning achievement of all students.  

Within this framework, comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is indispensable for boys, girls and young people to acquire the knowledge, skills and values that allow them to take healthy and responsible personal decisions about their personal lives and sexuality.  CSE also helps to protect young people from sexually transmitted infections (STIs), early and intended pregnancy, exploitation, abuse and sexual violence, stigma and discrimination and all other forms of violence.