Four youth volunteers from the Cordillera Administrative Region attended the 7th Asia Pacific Conference on Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights (APCRSHR) held January 21-24, 2014 at the Philippine International Convention Center.
Phoebe Joy Galbino, Divina Bosikaw, Jobert Doga-ong and Madelyn Lucas were thankful for the opportunity as aside from being able to gain knowledge, insights and more understanding on sexual and reproductive health and rights, they were able to meet people from the different regions, according to Jackielene G. Doquil, CHOICES Project Coordinator of the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines, Baguio-Benguet Chapter.
Doquil who was with the group, said the 7th APCRSHR carried the theme “Examining achievements, good practices, lessons learned and challenges: towards a strategic positioning of Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR)”.
The first day of conference focused on Youth and Young People, where messages of solidarity were heard from Gusti Pembayun, the Royal Princess of Indonesia; Kate Gilmore, Deputy Executive Director, UNFPA; and Tewodross Melesse, Director General, IPPF. The sessions targeted issues on Education, Employment and Livelihood, health, policies and services. There was also a youth fair, youth village and youth advocates night solely for the young people.
The second day was the general conference with Nafis Sadik, former UNFPA executive director as the keynote speaker. Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona was there to welcome all the delegates.
There was a welcome reception or Asia Pacific Night and all the delegates wore their national/traditional costumes. The Cordillera youth group wore the Kalinga tapis and bahag.
“Many of the delegates especially the Indians said that our costumes are very similar to one of the tribes in India”, Doquil said.
The main conference on the third day consisted of plenary sessions and successive parallel sessions on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). Lessons, good practices, innovative approaches were the main topics of the day.
The final day focused on emerging and re-emerging issues, challenges and prospects beyond 2015 and Development partners’ SRHR programs beyond 2015.
The Philippines handed over to Myanmar the responsibility for the 8th APCRSHR on 2016.
Her Excellency Thein Thein Htay, Myanmar Deputy Minister of Health, formally closed the conference. (JDP/MAWC-PIA CAR)
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