From Benin to New York: CHOICE Explores Global SRHR Advocacy

1. What was your impression of the trip to Benin?

Sara:

Benin was my first trip as a Youth Ambassador. It was, all in all, a super interesting and versatile week. My first trip in an environment full of fellow young advocates was a great start to my year as a Youth Ambassador. The trip was in light of the Global Youth Dialogue, one of the global dialogues organized for the International Conference on Population and Development +30  (ICPD+30) anniversary year. The Dialogue was co-hosted by the Netherlands, Denmark, and Benin. Apart from the dialogue, we held consultations with different networks, from International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) youth advocates to queer youth networks. These consultations gave me many diverse new insights from multiple intersecting perspectives!

The dialogue itself was a special environment, with passionate young advocates from 140 countries present. It was inspiring to see people from so many different cultural, religious, ethnic, and gender/sexuality backgrounds working together to fight for equal access to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) for future generations. One concurrent session was co-hosted by CHOICE along with colleagues from Amref, where we brainstormed about youth leadership in promoting positive masculinity and girls' empowerment, and what we as young people need in order to participate and lead. We came up with recommendations that were presented at the closing of the event. On top of it all, I was one of the speakers during the closing ceremony, which was exciting! After listening and talking to fellow youth activists for days, I returned to the Netherlands full of energy and inspiration for the rest of my term as a Youth Ambassador.

Melchior:

Attending the Global Youth Dialogue (GYD) summit was my first trip as the Program Coordinator for the Youth Ambassador Program. Although I had previous experience as a mentor for interns, I had never guided anyone through an international event, especially one as large as the GYD.

As a mentor, my role was to help Sara navigate her many opportunities as the youth ambassador for SRHR. Additionally, as a representative of CHOICE, I focused on engaging with the many inspirational youth representatives and activists from around the world at the GYD. This event was a significant opportunity to meet some of our partners in person and build new connections. Most importantly, attending the GYD helped me gain a foothold in the field.

What does it mean to participate in such an event, coming from a global minority country and being part of an organization with certain certifications and status? We often discuss terms like positionality, intersectionality, and decolonial thinking, but it's essential to put these concepts into practice. By listening intently during all the sessions, assisting in sessions organized by partners, and contributing to the creation of the manifesto, I can attest that my participation was meaningful. Like Sara, I returned home with new ideas on how to move forward in establishing and sustaining this youth movement, which is even more global than I had anticipated.

2. It was also the first time for the both of you going to the UN, what was your impression and how did you prepare?

Sara:

One month after the Global Youth Dialogue, it was time for the 57th Commission on Population and Development (CPD) at the United Nations in New York. The first day of the CPD was a celebratory moment to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the ICPD in the General Assembly. Walking into that room for the first time was an indescribable feeling! Even though the UN can be a polarized space, and there is often rightful criticism of the UN, being in the room where almost every state in the world is physically represented made me realize how valuable it is to have a space where states take the time and effort to sit at the table and talk with each other.

Melchior:

With the GYD still fresh in our minds and knowing that the UN can be an intimidating and abstract space, my colleague Veerle and I met with our executive director Ximena to set clear goals for this event. We asked ourselves questions like: How will my participation be meaningful? What do I want to get out of the CPD?

Our focus was on establishing a strong connection with all the other youth participants, who were often not up-to-date about youth participation and the other youths attending the conference. We had a significant task ahead:

1. Connect with as many youths as possible.
2. Find a space at the UN where we could gather without adult interference to strategize, discuss, and inspire each other.

3. How did you experience your time at the UN and how did you bring your input from Benin with you to New York?

Sara:

When I arrived on the Sunday before the CPD, the negotiations had already ended. On the one hand, I was quite disappointed since I was looking forward to participating in and learning how negotiations in UN spaces take place, but we got something in return: all member states agreed on an outcome! Since an outcome had not been reached in three years, this can be seen as a success. It was still quite disappointing to see that none of the outcomes of the Global Youth Dialogue were included in the final outcome and that all language on youth and adolescents was taken out. Even though I look back at the Global Youth Dialogue as a success, it still doesn’t feel meaningful if they are not included in the final documents.

However, I did take part in a side event to launch the official outcome document of the Global Youth Dialogue. Together with the youth delegate from Denmark, we moderated the event. It was great to have both high-level (ministers, vice-ministers, and other decision-makers) and young activists present to bundle our commitments to youth participation and youth SRHR. The room was completely full, and I look back on a very successful event where we did have the opportunity to take the outcomes of the dialogue to New York and hopefully beyond.

All in all, I look back on two hectic but inspiring months. I have learned more about UN processes, the lived realities of young people from many parts of the world, youth activism, polarization, and definitely about union and building bridges.

Melchior:

As a participant, I can attest to the fruitful session that Sara moderated. Since that Sunday, we met many youth participants through 8 AM networking breakfasts at various Missions, during panels, interactive sessions, concurrent sessions in the lunchroom, and in the plenary. We quickly built a WhatsApp group of around 45 youth members, and on Wednesday, we organized a youth strategy session. In this session, we reflected on the GYD outcome document, the Cotonou Youth Action Agenda, and the way forward, all in a very hot, windowless room. Fortunately, we had access to the rest of the office space where we created wonderful collages reflecting on youth participation.

Above all, it was a moment to come together, take a break from the hustle and bustle of the UN, and adopt a different approach to knowledge sharing. It's important to note that CHOICE did not do this alone. With the help of other inspirational youth participants like Lucy Fagan (UNMGCY) and Ramish Nadeem (Advocates for Youth), the session became what it was. So thank you to everyone, and thank you participants for your time and energy!

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We are incredibly proud of Sara and Melchior for their passionate involvement and the impactful contributions they made at the Global Youth Dialogue and the UN events!