From Peril to Promise: Young People's Sexual Health and Rights in a Shifting World

Young people's sexual health and rights have never been more contested, nor the case for cross-sector collaboration, research, advocacy, and funding more urgent. As human rights and democratic norms are increasingly challenged, youth populations face growing attacks and restrictions on their bodily autonomy, access to information, and other key rights essential to their health. In this moment, the need for strengthened relationships and learning across sectors, with particular attention to how movements can be youth-informed and sustainably resourced has never been more needed. 

This 90-minute virtual event will bring together young advocates alongside experts and representatives from U.N. agencies, government, academia, and civil society to take stock and consider how we can advance collectively in this rapidly shifting landscape. The conversation will be informed by three years of the Global Initiative on Young People's Sexual Rights and Health, an initiative which engaged research, policy, and educational programming in Los Angeles and São Paulo to advance young people's sexual health and rights.

The event will feature keynote remarks from Rajat Khosla, Executive Director of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (PMNCH), panel dialogues on youth engagement in sexual health and rights advocacy and on strengthening the research to policy pipeline, as well as time for questions and contributions from the audience.

This program is open to all eligible individuals. IIGH operates all of its programs and activities consistent with the University’s Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor.

Speakers:

Rajat Khosla is the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health Executive Director. He most recently served as Director of the United Nations International Institute on Global Health (UNU-IIGH). Over the last twenty years his work has focused on global health and inequalities, sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender equality and health equity. He has published widely in academic journals and writes regularly on these issues. He has previously worked at the World Health Organization and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights where his work focused on research and normative development including with respect to: implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals related in particular to issues related to sexual and reproductive health; policy guidance and legal analysis; and development of policy frameworks on the integration of women’s rights and health in humanitarian emergencies. Previously he served in a variety of research and policy roles with civil society organizations and think tanks such as the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, and the International Environmental Law Research Centre, among others. He is an Adjunct Research Professor at the University of Southern California Institute on Inequalities in Global Health and a Visiting Fellow at the University of Essex Human Rights Centre.

Vera Paiva is Full Professor at the Institute of Psychology at the University of São Paulo (USP), founder of the Nucleus for AIDS Prevention Studies (1991) and the USP Solidarity/COVID Research Network (2021). She is dedicated to psychosocial approaches to inequality and sexuality and to the innovation of health practices (prevention and care) based on human rights, with an emphasis on STIs/HIV and COVID-19. She was a MacArthur Foundation Individual Grantee, a Researcher and Visiting Professor at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, a Cogut Professor at the Center for Latin American Studies at Brown University, and a Visiting Scholar at CILAS at the University of California San Diego. She has been a representative of civil society on the Brazilian Special Commission on Political Deaths and Disappearances. Paiva has chaired the Human Rights Commission of the Federal Council of Psychology and represented civil society on the Brazilian National Council for Human Rights. Since the 1990s, she has participated with various UN agencies as a consultant and commissions in all these issues.

Hon. Ben Malunga Phiri, MP is a distinguished leader in Malawi, currently serving as Minister of Local Government and Rural Development and Director of Political Affairs in the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, demonstrating strong political acumen and influence within the party and government. Former (2019-2020) Minister of Local Government, Hon. Phiri played a pivotal role in improving local governance, enhancing infrastructure, and driving rural development, focusing on empowering local authorities and fostering community engagement. He served as Personal Assistant to the Fifth President of the Republic of Malawi, where he gained valuable insights into executive leadership, contributing to policy decisions and strategic development at the highest levels of government. Winner of the Iconic Honours Awards 2026 for his commitment to public service, his dedication to advancing the well-being of Africa, Malawi, and his constituents makes him a respected figure in Malawi and the region. He is a founding Member of the Alliance for Parliamentary Network on internet Governance in Africa.

Stephanie Psaki is a public health leader with expertise at the intersection of national security, global health, and equity. She previously served as Special Assistant to the President and the inaugural U.S. Coordinator for Global Health Security in the Biden White House, a role that included overseeing the federal government’s response to emerging global health threats such as mpox, Ebola, and Marburg. While on staff at the National Security Council, Psaki also coordinated U.S. government engagement on issues ranging from ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat, investing in health workers, expanding access to sexual and reproductive health services, and protecting human rights. Psaki previously worked for twenty years at NGOs and research institutions, including Partners in Health, FHI 360, and the Population Council, where she led a research center focused on expanding opportunities for young people around the world. Psaki holds a PhD from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and an MS from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She recently joined the Brown School of Public Health as a distinguished senior fellow.

Ayan Patel is an IIGH Youth Ambassador and a student at USC studying Global Health and is passionate about studying infectious diseases and advancing healthcare literacy and equality around the world. He first became interested in Global Health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Andrea Sia is an IIGH Youth Ambassador and a student at USC studying Global Health and is passionate about women's health, health education, and health equity. She currently mentors middle school girls through USC WYSE, teaching sexual and reproductive health education, and works as an EMT in the Orlando area while contributing to policy research focused on U.S. health programs.

Naísa de Sousa Vieira holds a Bachelor’s degree and a teaching degree in Social Sciences from the University of São Paulo. Between 2024 and 2025, she served as a Prevention Ambassador, producing digital content for social media on sexual rights, reproductive rights, prevention, and pleasure aimed at the university community. Her work is grounded in peer-to-peer initiatives that seek to broaden and democratize dialogue with young people and expand access to information on sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Julia Yamaoka Frizatti Bertin Florêncio is a senior at the Institute of Psychology at the University of São Paulo, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Over the past three years, she has dedicated herself to studying various public policies in the field of sexuality, with an emphasis on human rights and the integration of the realms of law and pleasure in the sexual and reproductive health of young people. She participated in the “Ambassadors of Prevention” project, producing scientific outreach videos alongside organizing the “Making Art with Prevention” festival in late 2024.

Moderators:

Laura Ferguson is an Associate Professor of Population and Public Health Sciences at the University of Southern California, the Director of the Program on Global Health & Human Rights, and the Director of Research at the USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health. Her research focuses on understanding and addressing health systems and societal factors affecting health and the uptake of health services as well as developing the evidence base of how attention to human rights can improve health outcomes. Her work focuses primarily on HIV, sexual and reproductive health, child health and One Health. She is also an associate editor for Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters and the American Journal of Public Health, and an Associate Professor of Research at Amref International University, Kenya.

Summer Peet is a Senior Program Officer with the USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health. Before coming to IIGH, Summer spent five years with the Open Society Foundations, working within their global communications team and later with the Culture and Art program to support the growth of vibrant and inclusive democracies around the world. She spent time as an advisor with the Permanent Mission of Guatemala to the United Nations in New York and has lived and worked across Latin America. Summer graduated from Occidental College with a degree in Diplomacy and World Affairs and has completed professional coursework with the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, Germany, and with Georgetown Law in Washington D.C.

Opening Remarks:

Sofia Gruskin directs the USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health (IIGH). She is USC Distinguished Professor of Population, Public Health Sciences & Law, Professor of Preventive Medicine and Chief of the Disease Prevention, Policy and Global Health Division at the Keck School of Medicine, and Professor of Law and Preventive Medicine at the Gould School of Law. She has published extensively, including several books, training manuals and edited journal volumes, and more than 200 articles and chapters.