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Table 2 Progress and gaps related to priority 2

From: Menstrual hygiene management in schools: midway progress update on the “MHM in Ten” 2014–2024 global agenda

Priority 2: Develop and disseminate global guidelines for MHM in schools with minimum standards, indicators, and illustrative strategies for adaptation, adoption, and implementation at national and subnational levels

Progress

Global level guidelines

Menstruation and MHM incorporated within the 2014 UNESCO Puberty Education & Menstrual Hygiene Management guidelines, and the 2018 UNESCO International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education: An Evidence-Informed Approach (UNESCO; UNAIDS; UNFPA; UNICEF; UN Women; WHO 2018; United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization 2014)

 

UNICEF prioritized dignified menstrual health and hygiene in its Gender Action Plan for 2018–2021, although this effort goes beyond girls in school (UNICEF n.d.)

 

Save the Children’s 2016 Menstrual Hygiene Management Operational Guidelines provide comprehensive global guidelines for situation analysis, programme design, and monitoring and evaluation of ongoing MHM interventions in schools (Haver and Long 2016)

 

School-specific evidence-based guidelines have emerged from governments (e.g. India, Zambia, Kenya), NGOs and international organizations with specific recommendations for WASH and MHM. Examples include USAID’s 2015 Schools Promoting Learning Achievement through Sanitation and Hygiene (SPLASH) Menstrual Hygiene Management Toolkit for Zambia, and World Vision India’s 2017 guidelines on Making Schools Gender-Friendly (SPLASH 2015; World Vision India 2017)

Country level guidelines

The Government of Nepal is rolling out the National WASH in Schools Procedure (2018) that incorporates standards for MHM education, materials and WASH facilities

Recommendations to advance the agenda

 Include MHM monitoring systems within global monitoring frameworks, and seek to capture fidelity and impact of MHM interventions in schools

 Increase political interest in designing and monitoring MHM enabling infrastructure in schools (gender sensitive facilities, cleaning and maintenance) aligned with SDGs

 Develop improved guidelines and indicators for use at varying levels, including schools, from national monitoring to programme implementation

 Documentation of how existing guidelines are disseminated, adapted, and integrated into local contexts, with particular focus on implementation in relation to education

  1. This table comprehensively outlines specific priority 2 progress and gaps to date