Policy and legal analysis notes: a review of the National Adolescent Health and Development Strategy in Nepal

Abstract

The return to multiparty democracy in Nepal in 1990 created the space for significant health sector reform, with a focus on adolescent sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Initially, this was driven by the need to control fertility rates and to address maternal and child mortality, given the links to child marriage. At a later stage, however, adolescent health was framed as a rights issue. The need to tackle social and cultural practices such as child marriage provided the impetus to policy-makers to consider adolescents’ SRH needs. To understand the policy context for adolescent health, wellbeing and bodily integrity in Nepal, we reviewed the National Adolescent Health and Development Strategy 2000. We used a political economy analysis lens to explore the policy adoption process and implementation challenges. This brief is an output of the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) programme