On March 26, 2026, a results-sharing meeting for “Promoting Girls Health Education in Africa”, jointly launched by Peking University and UNESCO, was held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France. Professor Ma Yinghua, the lead researcher of the PKU team for the project, UNESCO Chairholder on Global Health and Education, and director of PKU Institute of Child and Adolescent Health, attended the meeting along with her team members.

Government representatives, educators, and student delegates from Botswana, Nigeria, and Uganda, along with heads of permanent delegations to UNESCO, officials from relevant UNESCO departments, and the PKU team participated in the event through a hybrid of online and offline methods. Together, they reviewed the project’s achievements, shared practical experiences from across Africa, and explored new pathways for the sustainable development of and international cooperation in health education for girls in Africa.

The “Promoting Girls Health Education in Africa” Initiative is a key practice by PKU and UNESCO to implement UNESCO’s two global priorities: Africa and Gender Equality. Launched in October 2021 with a project duration from 2021 to 2023, the initiative is being implemented in Botswana, Nigeria, and Uganda. It aims to promote the health and well-being of girls, foster knowledge sharing and cooperation between Africa and China in the field of girls’ health education, explore health education models tailored to local contexts, and create a supportive environment through advocacy and capacity building. The project encompasses needs assessments, context-specific health education practices, and the summarization of experiences and sustainability analysis.

In her technical commentary, Professor Ma Yinghua shared three key insights. She noted that these practical experiences offered valuable insights into the implementation of school health programs in various contexts. Peking University will continue to leverage the UNESCO Chair platform to advance relevant research, knowledge exchange, and policy dialogue, thereby facilitating the development of health education for girls worldwide through collaboration.

Extended Reading: The Institute of Child and Adolescent Health at Peking University was established in 1982 with the approval of the State Scientific and Technological Commission of China as the nation’s sole national research institution dedicated to child and adolescent health and school health. It serves as a technical support unit for child and adolescent health and school health matters for administrative departments including the Ministry of Education, the National Health Commission, the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the All-China Women’s Federation, the General Administration of Sport, the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, and the Ministry of Science and Technology. It is also an academic research entity of Peking University Health Science Center.

Written by: Lang Lang

Edited by: Liu Xin

Source: School of Public Health