SATURDAY 25 JUNE 2022
With the G7 Summit due to begin tomorrow, young leaders urge Johnson and his G7 counterparts to put pressure on United States (US) president, Joe Biden, to safeguard women’s reproductive rights in light of yesterday's US Supreme Court judgement.
Young leaders are shocked at the overturning of Roe v Wade, a pillar of human rights protection in the US, a G7 member. They call on the G7 to champion the protection of women’s rights and ensure other core basic human rights within G7 countries and beyond.
Young leaders from G7 states, as well as youth representatives from the EU, Ukraine and Indonesia have come together over the las six months to prepare recommendations for world leaders to consider at their Summit. Known as the Youth 7 (Y7), the official youth engagement group to the G7 has developed a list of key demands for G7 leaders and this year, sexual and reproductive rights and services have taken priority on the youth agenda.
The youth recommendations have focused on 5 key policy areas, including Global Health with a specialisation on women’s health. In alignment with G7 priorities for achieving gender equity and global health solidarity, youth delegates call on G7 leaders to:
Recognise that abortions occur irrespective of legality and therefore to reduce the rate of unsafe abortions affecting women’s health, as per the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals 3.7, 5.6, we urge G7 leaders to make abortion legal, safe, accessible, and affordable,
Sufficient aftercare including psychological services should be accessible.
Ensure access to basic needs and healthcare of conflict-affected youth, especially reproductive health and other services in response to gender-based violence.
The UK’s Y7 representatives are selected by the Future Leaders Network with a mandate to represent young people in the UK. They conducted consultations and hosted fora in order to ensure our recommendations are a diverse representation of UK youth voices.
Commenting, Safia Sangster, UK Head Delegate to the Y7 said:
“Gender equity and progression for women’s rights are a cross-cutting priority for the G7. We are extremely saddened and shocked by the decision the US Supreme Court has taken this week regarding constitutional rights to a safe and legal abortion.
As a G7 member and a global leader, we implore the US to set a strong example of the reproductive rights and services that women are entitled to universally.
Boris Johnson and the other G7 leaders must put pressure on Joe Biden to play his part in upholding the shared values that unite the G7 - democracy and respect for human rights. Biden must instil the respect for women’s rights in his electorate through robust access to reproductive education and services that protect women’s constitutional right to abortion ”
The Y7 2022 was hosted by the German Presidency and took place in Berlin 16-20th May. And this year’s G7 will take place in Schloss Elmau, Germany from 26-28th June.
The Youth 7 (Y7) is one of seven official engagement groups to the G7, with the others being the Business 7, Civil Society 7, Labour 7, Science 7, Think 7 and Women 7.
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Notes to the Editor:
For more information about the support available to young people in the UK, particularly our Youth 7 opportunity, please visit our website: https://www.futureleaders.network
For interviews or more information, please contact Sophie Daud – Chief Executive, directly on +44 7788 990041 or at sophie.daud@futureleaders.network.
About Future Leaders Network
Future Leaders Network is a not-for-profit organisation aimed at discovering and developing the next generation of social, economic and political leaders in the United Kingdom. We are revolutionising the leadership development landscape, by equipping young people with the leadership experience, skills and network they need to deliver positive change in the world.
We make a difference today with the leaders of tomorrow.
Since 2011, we have selected and supported young leaders to represent the U.K. at the G7 and G20 Youth Summits. In 2021, in line with the U.K.’s G7 Presidency, the Future Leaders Network was appointed to Chair and deliver the Youth 7 (Y7) process.
Website: https://www.futureleaders.network
About the Youth 7 (Y7) 2022
Youth 7 is one of seven engagement groups of the Group of 7 (G7) supported by the German. Government in its 2022 G7 Presidency, the others being Women 7, C7 (non-governmental organisations), Labour 7, Business 7, Science 7 and Think 7. The engagement groups are involved at every level of G7 activities, including meetings with the Sherpas, Ministers and expert groups, through to the Leaders’ Summit. They prepare recommendations for each G7 Presidency.
The Youth 7 Summit took place in Berlin on 16 - 20 May 2022, with young people from all over the world joining in person to participate in three days’ worth of keynote speakers, presentations and workshops.
Read the full Y7 communique here:
https://y7germany.org/y7-communique-tracks
About Safia Sangster:
Safia is the UK Head delegate to the Y7 and delegate for resilience of democracies and youth, peace and security.
Safia Sangster is a policy advisor for the Ministry of Justice, working on the reducing reoffending strategy. Previous to this she has experience in the voluntary sector working on anti-domestic abuse, mental health and international development campaigns.
In January, Safia was selected as the UK Head Delegate to the Y7 coordinating 4 delegates to attend the Berlin summit. She is particularly committed to ensuring that the Summit includes a wide range of diverse voices, including young people who are typically underrepresented in formal democratic processes.