Comprehensive sexuality education – a curriculum-based process of teaching and learning about the cognitive, emotional, physical and social aspects of sexuality – enables young people to protect and advocate for their health, well-being and dignity by providing them with a necessary toolkit of knowledge, attitudes and skills. It equips them with accurate information about human development, sexuality, reproduction and healthy relationships that is appropriate for their age and culture. It is a precondition for exercising full bodily autonomy and making informed choices about sexual and reproductive health and rights. It builds on and promotes an understanding of universal human rights, gender equality, and the rights and empowerment of young people.
It is vital to advancing health outcomes and gender equality. Yet research shows that too many young people still make the transition from childhood to adulthood receiving inaccurate or incomplete information about sexual and reproductive health, leaving them vulnerable to coercion, sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy. UNFPA works with governments to implement comprehensive sexuality education, both in schools and outside of schools through community-based training and outreach. By investing in young people's health and education, governments can support their engagement in society, ensure their well-being and help them achieve their full potential. UNFPA also promotes policies for, and investment in, sexuality education programmes that meet internationally agreed upon standards.
Young people themselves called upon governments to ensure the provision of curriculum-based comprehensive sexuality education in and out of schools during the ICPD30 Global Youth Dialogue. They emphasized that the education must be scientifically accurate, evidence based, culturally relevant, gender transformative, and age and developmentally responsive, and that investments are needed to continuously train educators.
Comprehensive sexuality education can be taught in school to students as a part of the school curriculum or outside the school curriculum in non-formal settings; it is most effective when taught over several years by integrating age-appropriate information that accounts for the developing capacities of young people. It includes scientifically accurate information about human development, anatomy and reproductive health, as well as information about contraception, childbirth and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.
But it also goes beyond information, helping young people to explore and nurture positive values regarding their sexual and reproductive health and rights. This education includes discussions about family life, relationships, culture and gender roles, and also addresses human rights, gender equality, bodily autonomy and threats such as discrimination, sexual abuse and violence.
Comprehensive sexuality education should recognize the unique needs of learners, especially vulnerable youth groups – such as LGBTQIA+ youth, young people living with disabilities, young people in humanitarian settings, young people who use drugs and those living with HIV – and should be tailored to reflect their realities.
Taken together, these programmes help young people develop self-esteem and life skills that encourage critical thinking, clear communication, responsible decision making and respectful and empathetic behaviour.
According to the UN International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education, comprehensive sexuality education must be:
- Scientifically accurate
- Incremental
- Age and developmentally appropriate
- Curriculum based
- Comprehensive
- Based on a human rights approach
- Based on gender equality
- Culturally relevant and context appropriate
- Transformative
- Able to help develop life skills needed to support healthy choices
International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education
This type of education may go by other names, such as “life skills,” “holistic sexuality education,” “family life education,” “healthy lifestyle,” “sex ed” or “HIV education.” These names may imply differences in emphasis. For example, life skills education may include a focus on caring for sick family members, coping with loss or other similar issues.
No matter what it’s called, comprehensive sexuality education empowers all young people to know, demand and protect their rights. The importance of sexuality education has been recognized by numerous international agreements, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS.
UNFPA works to empower young people to shape the lives they want. This means mitigating adolescents’ risk of developing harmful behaviours, while promoting positive, protective actions and attitudes. Comprehensive sexuality education is a key component of UNFPA’s global strategy for adolescents and youth.
UNFPA works with governments and partners to develop and implement comprehensive sexuality education programmes, in and out of school, that meet international technical standards. In 2019, UNFPA launched a global programme for out-of-school comprehensive sexuality education, specifically targeting frequently left-behind young people. Among many other initiatives, in Moldova, UNFPA is working with the government and partners to deliver comprehensive sexuality education to refugees from Ukraine, with sessions on life skills and resilience building, as well as mental health counseling and sexual and reproductive health referrals and information. UNFPA Malawi has a specific emphasis on delivering comprehensive sexuality education to young people living with HIV, by identifying and training facilitators from the same community. UNFPA Palestine has developed a digital educational platform for sexual education; the application has been made accessible to young people with hearing impairment and also has been adapted to audio for those with visual disabilities.
In addition, many countries have been expanding the breadth of their in-school curricula in response to the UN International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education. In Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the guidance was used to develop lesson plans and learning objectives after an analysis revealed a lack of content on gender, rights, sexual behavior and equitable social norms in the existing life skills curricula. In South Africa, the guidance was used to create lesson plans and training for teachers to empower them to address important sensitive topics that might otherwise be left out. Other examples can be found in the Global Status Report on Comprehensive Sexuality Education.
In advocating for policies on, and investments in, comprehensive sexuality education, in and out of schools, UNFPA and partners recognized that traditional sexuality education does not meet the needs of all young people, such as populations outside of school. To address this, UNFPA and partners (UNESCO, WHO, UNICEF, UNAIDS) launched the International Technical and Programmatic Guidance on Out-of-School Comprehensive Sexuality Education in 2020. It provides evidence-based, human rights-centred guidelines and recommendations for reaching the most vulnerable young people. Out-of-school programmes often include community-based training and education, and may focus on groups such as young people with disabilities, young indigenous people, LGBTQIA+ youth, young people living with HIV or young people living in humanitarian settings.
UNFPA also co-convenes the Global Partnership Forum on Comprehensive Sexuality Education together with UNESCO, with the aim to advance research, promote good practices, enhance collaboration and overcome challenges. Members include UN agencies, funding agencies, international civil-society organizations working in the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights, youth-led organizations, research or academic institutions, and education-related and other professional networks.
UNFPA is building the evidence on comprehensive sexuality education. It is among others collaborating with the World Health Organization in conducting research on UNFPA’s comprehensive sexuality education programming, in partnership with local research institutions. In May 2023, a special edition of the journal Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters, titled “Learning beyond the classroom: comprehensive sexuality education for outside-of-school settings,” shared implementation research from Colombia, Ethiopia, Ghana and Malawi.
Updated on 3 July 2024
