Ipas Africa Southern Region (ASR), South Africa office in collaboration with the Department of Women (DWYPD) – Hosts CTS Nexus Convening on Child Marriage, Teen Pregnancy and School Dropouts from 9-12 March 2026 in Johannesburg, South Africa.The four-day CTS Nexus Convening was kick started by a youth dialogue (on 9 March 2026) bringing together young people from different provinces to discuss critical issues affecting communities, including child marriage, teenage pregnancy and school dropouts (CTS). The dialogue provided a platform for young people to share experiences and propose solutions to challenges impacting their education, health and future opportunities.
Day 2 and 3 (10 and 11 March 2026) of the CTS Nexus convening was focused on technical assessment using the Ipas CTS Nexus tools and developing a high-level scorecard. On the fourth day (12 March 2026), the a South Africa CTS Nexus Scorecard was launched through a high level dialogue with key stakeholders. The scorecard will demonstrate the status of current response to prevent and end CTS in South Africa, across key policy, financing and service delivery agencies. The event on 12 March, was graced with a speech from the South African Deputy Minister of Women (DWYPD) the Honourable Minister Steve Letsika and Ambassador of Norway, Her excellency Ms Anne Beathe Kristiansen.
The outcomes and recommendations from the CTS Nexus Convening were endorsed by the Ambassador of Norway together with representatives from National Government Departments. It is also expected that Senior South African Government officials, private sector, UN agencies, CSOs and Donors will be present in efforts to drive implementation, coordination, and accountability to end CTS Nexus going forward.
