13:00 to 15:00 CEST

Despite laudable gains made since 2000, with a 29 per cent reduction in maternal mortality and a 43 per cent reduction in child mortality, 295,000 women and 5.9 million children under the age of 5 continue to die annually from largely preventable causes.

Women, children and adolescents are also at particular risk of malnutrition, which limits learning capacities and productivity and contributes to the perpetuation of a cycle of ill-health and poverty.

Young men and women were also significantly impacted by the health and socio-economic shocks brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. They were disproportionately affected by school closures, social distancing and quarantine measures. The impact of the pandemic on mental health has been significant.

To shed light on these issues of concern and mobilize young parliamentarians to find solutions from a policy-making perspective, the IPU is organizing the second online briefing of its Empowerment Series for young parliamentarians, on health and nutrition.

IPU Members are invited to register one young male and one young female parliamentarian to participate in the briefing. The young MPs will hear presentations by experts on women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health, mental health and nutrition. A discussion among young MPs will follow, aimed at sharing good practices on health- and nutrition-related policies and legislation.

Simultaneous interpretation will be available in English, French, Arabic and Spanish.

• Youth Participation in National Parliaments
• I Say Yes campaign
• Handbook for parliamentarians on nutrition and food systems
• Road map for action on women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health