The World Youth Alliance’s Annual International Solidarity Forum took place from March 21st to March 24th. Eighty young people from 22 countries came to NY we were lucky enough to have expert speakers from all over talk to us about the issues of Maternal Health, and how we can make a difference. All eighty of us were then able to work for 3 days in the typical UN style to draft a document and come up with a formal WYA Declaration on Maternal Health that was agreed upon by consensus.
The conference was not all work either, we were able to make many new friendships from all over the world and learn from each other’s perspectives. WYA also hosted a cocktail for many missions from the United Nations. We were able to interact with delegations from all of the world, while having fun in a casual setting. This experience was beneficial for everyone, we all learned so much about the issue of maternal health in regards to dignity, the way the UN will try to come together on a consensus with world issues; and how we each can benefit from others different backgrounds and views. It was great getting to meet all these amazing people and I am so happy and proud of the document outcome.
by Christin Redfield
