Young volunteers from IPPF’s European Network, Ysafe and Africa Region, YAM, attended an important meeting in Kigali, Rwanda from the 17-22 November 2007.

The young people presented a statement on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.  They asked for youth participation in the development of country strategy papers.  They also put forward three concrete problems with solutions.

Members of Parliament of the European Union (EU) and 77 countries of the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) region hold meetings twice a year, once in Europe and once in a developing country. 

The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly was created to bring together the elected representatives of the European Community - the Members of the European Parliament - and the elected representatives of the African, Caribbean and Pacific states. 

It is the only international assembly in which the representatives of various countries sit together regularly with the aim of promoting the interdependence of North and South.  The JPA’s work includes promoting human rights and democracy and the common values of humanity.

Many delegates came to ask questions and the MEPs Michael Cashman, Glenys Kinnock and Anne Van Lancker congratulated them and encouraged them to keep working on these issues. They are making progress in putting the SRHR of young people on the agenda.

This advocacy activity follows one of IPPF’s major strategies: to raise the capacity and the voices of young people in advocacy. 

For the Ysafe people it was their first African experience so the poverty and difficult conditions struck them, for the YAM people, the Rwandan context was not that new, but they were amazed by how positive young Rwandans were, despite their situation and the recent history of genocide.  The meeting inspired all the young people to keep working for SRH rights everywhere.