In July, Liliane Foundation thematic advisers and young people their programmes supported attended the leading Women Deliver 2023 in Rwanda. They published a blog post in Dutch about the Women Deliver 2023 conference, which we have translated. DCDD is incredibly excited that our partners and young people with a disability were able to bring their experiences and expertise to express that everyone should have equal rights, including when it comes to sexuality.
Women Deliver 2023 is a global conference advocating gender equality and the health and rights of girls and women. This year, it took place in Kigali, Rwanda. Over 6,000 visitors attended, and 200,000 people followed the conference online. Liliane Foundation thematic advisers raised awareness of the importance of sexual and reproductive health and rights for girls and young women with disabilities. The thematic advisors conducted interactive workshops with young people who have participated in Liliane Foundation programmes.
Ice now supports others.
One of these young women is Ice (18) from Indonesia. She participated in the My Body is Mine project that the Liliane Foundation carried out with their partner organisation in Indonesia. Ice is now an adult and advocates for equal rights for young women with disabilities. To attend the conference, she was granted special funding by the organisation. This allowed Ice, a strong young woman, to advocate for and address this important issue on an international platform.
Special meeting with Princess Mabel of Orange
Apart from the workshops, there was also room for special encounters; three members of our youth delegation spoke with Princess Mabel van Oranje. She was there to draw attention to her organisation, Girls Not Brides. In the conversation with Princess Mabel, they emphasised the importance of sexual and reproductive health and rights for young people with disabilities. They explained to her that people with disabilities should be involved in developing programmes and policies because they themselves are best placed to indicate their needs. It is important to see young people with disabilities for who they are, even beyond their disability.
