Youth Coalition Member Joins Women Deliver Conference 2023

Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety Youth Leadership Board Member and FIA Foundation and Child Health Initiative Youth Ambassador Oliva Nalwadda recently joined the Women Deliver Conference in Kigali, Rwanda to engage global decision-makers, youth leaders, civil societies, and other stakeholders. 

The Women Deliver Conference happened last 17 to 20 July and served as the ‘largest multi-sectoral convenings to advance gender equality.’ Over three days, the conference gathered around 6,000 people onsite in Kigali and over 200,000 virtually in a six-month-long dialogue that led up to the Conference. 

The Conference will bring into light key issues around adolescent health which include sexual health, reproductive health, mental health, and more. According to the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (PMNCH), the Conference will also center on intersectional feminist principles to address compounding issues impacting girls and women. 

During the Conference, Youth Ambassador Oliva Nalwadda interacted with young leaders and discussed the work they are doing to address adolescent issues and priorities. She also had different conversations about what young leaders are asking for from governments and other stakeholders when it comes to prioritizing adolescent health. 

“We are making sure that young people are empowered to do the assessments within their communities, to gather their voices on the challenges they are facing as young people, but also to jointly come up with demands that they want their governments to work on.” 

Along with the discussions and conversations, Oliva also encourages youth and other stakeholders to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Targets and to include and prioritize road safety in the Global Agenda. 

Oliva took the opportunity to boost the 1.8 Billion Young People for Change Campaign (#1point8) by talking about it with the participants. Together with partner organizations PMNCH, Botnar Foundation, and Plan International, Oliva shared how youth and adolescent voices must be at the center of the decision-making process for their own health, well-being, empowerment, resilience, education skills, and connection to people and the planet. 

“I’m supporting governments to ensure first, that their commitments on adolescent well-being are in place but also that these commitments are nurtured with the young people at the center of it all. So, we want the young people to be part of the entire process of developing that commitment.” 

Other representatives of the Youth Coalition also took part in promoting #1point8 during Raahgiri Day in Indonesia last 18th June.