The Executive Director of Youth Network for Positive Change (YOUNETPO), Leo E. Tiah has highlighted the organization’s achievement in building a grassroots movement through capacity-building support.
Taiah recently represented Liberia at the ICPD30 Global Youth Dialogue in Cotonou, Benin.
During the different section engagements, he said that YOUNETPO like many youths-led organizations capacity has been strengthened, but receiving the needed funding to deliver on the human resource capacity is a serious challenge.
He urged partners to prioritize funding for youth-led organizations because young people need to take control of their agenda which is the ICPA: “Nothing for youth, without Youth.”
“For example, in Liberia, the UNFPA Country Office is supporting the Liberian Youth for Accelerating the ICPD,” Tiah said.
YOUNETPO Executive Director stressed the need for women to have the right and choice over their bodies.
He said unsafe abortion is on a high increase and there’s a need to legalize safe abortion while including persons living with disabilities at all levels.
Tiah said that people with disabilities are often left behind and just brought on as a way of inclusion not because they should be at the table.
The ICPD30 Global Youth Dialogue ended with the following five key outcomes which will be presented in New York during the Summit of the Future: “My Body My Life: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and Wellbeing:
Implement a Legal Framework to Counter GBV and harmful practices Include youth centered inclusive SRHR services within universal health coverage programs, including in hard-to-reach areas and countries in crisis Eliminate all legal structural, financial and systemic barriers including out of pocket expenditure, third party consent and criminalization of abortion and barriers to domestic production 2. Protecting Human Rights and Advancing Gender equality for youth in all their diversities.”
The ICPD30 Global Youth Dialogue brought together over 200 diverse youth-led and youth-serving organizations, leaders and strategic partners to assess progress, identify challenges and reimagine the ICPD Program of Action for a new generation.
The dialogue which took place from April 4-5, provided a space to celebrate youth as development partners, to hear their concerns and ensure the ICPD remains relevant for future decades.
During the ICPD30 event, Tiah participated in a series of concurrent sessions including but not limited to; Igniting Change with Grassroots Movements for Population and Development, My Body, My Life: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights & Wellbeing, Generation Choice: Together for Bodily Autonomy and Advancing and Protecting Rights: Intersectional and Inclusive Approaches to Sexual and Reproductive Justice, among others.
The sessions served as a forum where experts can share their experiences and engage individually with participants as they ask questions and share their own stories.
The YOUNETPO Executive Director also participated in plenary sessions including; Radical Inclusion: Promoting human rights and advancing gender equality for youth in all their diversities, Adapting, Thriving and Inspiring: Crafting Resilient Futures in a World in Crisis, My Body, My Life: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights & Wellbeing and Transforming education, transforming lives: Expanding opportunities for young People.
