KRABI, Thailand – The young parliamentarians who gathered here recently for an international conference on sexual and reproductive health rights agreed to strengthen their work on these issues when they returned home.

“As parliamentarians, you play a crucial role in bridging the gap between the people and the government,” said Safiye Cagar, Director of Information and External Relations of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. Opening the meeting on 15 November for young parliamentarians aged under 35, she emphasized the importance of their work since the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo in 1994, where 179 countries recognized sexual and reproductive health as a human right.

“Since that time, national parliaments have reordered population and development policy priorities, and passed laws at national and subnational levels to protect, uphold and promote reproductive rights, gender equality, youth friendly information, counselling and reproductive health care,” Cagar said.

People aged 15 to 24 years old make up about 43 per cent of the world’s population, yet they face limited resources, and confront such major challenges as getting an education, finding jobs and securing access to health care. Young parliamentarians have the ability, through their legislature, to mobilize these young people to create transformational change.

“I would like to challenge the perception that Parliament is a place only for old people and prove the case that young parliamentarians can make a difference,” said Moses Kunkuyu Kalonga Shawa, a parliamentarian from Malawi. “I believe I can make a difference on the ICPD agenda by working with my constituencies, educating young people, and pushing for civic education and youth involvement in decision-making processes.”

The meeting, which was organized by UNFPA and the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development, was designed to deepen young parliamentarians’ understanding and commitment to the ICPD, and to bring them together to exchange perspectives and experiences from their own countries.

The 30 who attended showed passion and enthusiasm for their work, as well as on sexual and reproductive health issues. They agreed that their young age is a clear advantage in their political role and that workshops like these are important for what they do.

“It feels like you’re alone in the world as a young MP, even in Canada, where there are so many young MPs,” said Rathika Sitsabaiesan. “It’s good to know we’re not isolated. The interesting thing is that we’re all facing similar issues and similar challenges, whether we come from the city or from the rural area.”

The parliamentarians confirmed that more young people are needed in politics and that not many women are represented on parliamentary benches. The meeting ended with commitments to take rapid action on several matters, including promoting reproductive health issues in the media, and advocating for better policies and greater resources from their government.

For more information, please contact: 
Leyla Alyanak, alyanak@unfpa.org