AFY_Mimi
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Today, I attended a meeting hosted by the US Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Change, Jonathon Pershing, where he engaged in dialgoue with American youth to discuss the negotiations curently going on at the Conference of Parties (COP) 17 in Durban, South Africa.
Mr. Pershing gave an overview of the negotiations, while highlighting the US interests in addressing climate change which was then followed by a Q&A session. In response to a question regarding how the US and countries can play a role in adaptating to climate change by investing in family planning/reproductive health programs internationally, Mr. Pershing said this:
In the midst of the COP discussions mainly focused on offsetting carbon emissions and coming to a legally binding agreement, it feels quite daunting as an advocate to bring awareness and push for accountability for governments to invest in an effective solution like voluntary reproductive health/family planning programs. However, as an American, I found Mr. Pershing's words encouraging that by mobilizing young people in coalition to push issues that matter to us, we set the stage for opening up broader discussions of sustainable development like expanding access to education, clean water, health care among other priorities that will help build communities' resilience to the negative impacts of climate change. I also appreciated how he, throughout his talk, expressed his satisfaction with the number of young people in the room-clearly over 100 youth leaders-that were purposeful wtih their questions and genuinely interested in bringing change.
Throughout the rest of the COP meeting, the Advocates for Youth delegation will continue to advocate for sexual and reproductive health and rights by targeting our various government officials and leaders, asking them questions to make sure that SRHR becomes a topic to discuss rather than an issue that gets sidelined by the politics of carbon credits.
Stay tuned for more!
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