In November of last year, more than 8,300 delegates from 170 countries and territories gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, to affirm support for reproductive health and rights. © UNFPA

The event, the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25, generated over 1,250 concrete commitments by governments, corporations, organizations and individuals. © UNFPA

Together, they pledged to work towards “three zeros” – zero unmet need for family planning, zero preventable maternal deaths, and zero gender-based violence and harmful practices. © UNFPA

Thanks to the summit, we know what needs to be done to realize a world of rights and choices for all. UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem, Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto and Danish Parliamentarian Karen Ellemann at the summit’s close. © UNFPA

But just after the event, the world hit a stumbling block: the COVID-19 pandemic. Globally, sexual and reproductive health services have been disrupted, and gender-based violence has spiked. © UNFPA

But we will not turn back now. On 17 September, a High-Level Commission will convene to keep us on track. Jayathma Wickramanayake, the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, is part of the commission. © UNFPA

Like the Nairobi Summit, the commission will be radically inclusive. Martin Karadzhov, an advocate of youth, diversity and inclusion, is seen speaking in Nairobi. He, too, is a member of the High-Level Commission. © UNFPA

Other members include former heads of state, grassroots advocates and everyone between. Michaëlle Jean, former Governor General of Canada, is the commission’s co-chair, along with former president of Tanzania Jakaya Kikwete. © UNFPA

This group will report on the status of the commitments and offer a bold vision for moving ahead. On the right, commission member Mary-Ann Etiebet, of MSD for Mothers, speaks at the Nairobi Summit. © UNFPA

“We continue to forge ahead, to back up words with deeds and action on the ground,” said Dr. Kanem ahead of the commission. “The new High-Level Commission will help all of us who made commitments in Nairobi keep those promises.” © UNFPA

<p>Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, young people have stepped up as front-line responders, activists and innovators. &ldquo;We must validate the leadership of young people,&rdquo; says UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem on International Youth Day. &copy; UNFPA Palestine</p>

<p>From shuttered schools and jobs, the pandemic has created hardships for young people &ndash; yet they are front and centre in the response. Nelea is part of a youth initiative providing older people with socially distanced visits and other help. &copy; UNFPA Moldova</p>

<p>In Nepal, this adolescent girls&rsquo; group usually campaigns to end child marriage. Today, they raise awareness about COVID-19, share tips on maintaining menstrual hygiene under lockdown, and distribute hygiene supplies to quarantine centres. &copy; UNFPA Nepal</p>

<p>Physiotherapist Beira is assisted while shopping in North Macedonia. Young people with disabilities face rising barriers under lockdown, including limited access to essential materials and services. &copy; UNFPA North Macedonia</p>

<p>In addition to distributing hygiene supplies, UNFPA and youth partners are providing accurate infection control information. In Eritrea, over a thousand young people have been deployed to disinfect public spaces and help raise awareness. &copy; UNFPA Eritrea</p>

<p>Young Egyptians with the partner group Y-Peer have assembled more than 11,000 kits containing hygiene supplies and health information, which have been delivered to vulnerable communities and hospitals throughout Cairo. &copy; UNFPA Egypt</p>

<p>UNFPA&rsquo;s youth partners are also providing assistance to the waves of migrants seen in Latin America and the Caribbean. Here, in Haiti, young people have their temperature checked as they return following pandemic-related job losses abroad. &copy; UNFPA Haiti</p>

<p>And around the world, young people are rising voices in the call for inclusiveness and equality. In Kyrgyzstan, youth deliver food and medicine to LGBTQI people facing increased vulnerability under the pandemic. &copy; Kyrgyz Indigo</p>