The first edition of the AA-HA! guidance has sparked an unprecedented surge in the number of countries that have expanded adolescent health programmes to include a comprehensive range of priorities, such as injuries and violence, communicable and noncommunicable diseases, nutrition and physical activity, and mental health and substance use. 

However, much more needs to be done for the world’s 1.2 billion adolescents. Many countries are lagging in prioritizing tailored national policies and programmes with adequate investments to meet adolescents’ needs. While having an informed national vision on adolescent health and well-being is very important, realizing it in practice by matching it with financial and human resource investments is even more so. 

The second edition of the AA-HA! guidance aims to be instrumental in further informing ongoing efforts, leading to a new generation of programmes that pay due attention to all domains of well-being through multisectoral action. The systematic approach described in the AA-HA! guidance, as well as key implementation strategies and practical examples from countries, is intended to support such efforts.

This second edition of the AA-HA! guidance is being published in the year when the largest-ever gathering for adolescent well-being, the Global Forum for Adolescents, is taking place. This is a unique opportunity to celebrate success and inspire adolescents and for the global community to advocate society’s support for a successful transition from adolescence to adulthood. At the same time, it is important to ensure continued momentum, beyond the Global Forum for Adolescents ‘23, to sustain commitments to resource mobilization and joint efforts by all stakeholders to increase political and financial investments in adolescent health and well-being. The United Nations partners involved in the production of this guidance document stand ready to support sustained attention to adolescent health and well-being in national and global policies and to provide technical assistance as countries act to accelerate action for the health and well-being of adolescents.