The 6th Annual Virtual Conference on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) in Schools, co-hosted by Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and UNICEF on the 17th October 2017, provides an opportunity to share the latest research and programming from around the world. The virtual conference is expected to bring together online over 1,000 participants from around the world. For the first time ever, the virtual conference will be streaming live from the Water Institute at the University of North Carolina’s annual Water & Health Conference! Registration instructions to follow.  This year’s theme, MHM and WASH: Supporting a gender-responsive learning environment, aims to highlight national examples of supportive WASH in schools enabling environments that en-sure that schools are ready for girls. The conference will focus on the five priorities identified for transforming MHM in schools by 2024:

• Priority 1: Build a strong cross-sectoral evidence base for MHM in schools for prioritization of policies, resource allocation and programming at scale.
• Priority 2: Develop and disseminate global guide-lines for MHM in schools with minimum standards, indi-cators and illustrative strategies for adaptation, adop-tion and implementation at national and sub-national levels.
• Priority 3: Advance the MHM in schools movement through a comprehensive, evidence-based advocacy platform that generates policies, funding and action across sectors and at all levels of government.
• Priority 4: Allocate responsibility to designated governments for the provision of MHM in schools (including adequate budget and M&E) and reporting to global channels and constituents.
• Priority 5: Integrate MHM, and the capacity and re-sources to deliver inclusive MHM, into the education system

Submit an abstract by 21 July 2017 to MHMvirtualconference@gmail.com
Abstracts should contain:

• Title
• Name of presenter, organization, country
• Maximum 500 word description of your proposed presentation or poster
• Relevant MHM in Ten priority