WAGGGS working towards a European Strategy on Sexual Health for Young People

The Europe Region WAGGGS was represented by Regional Director, Heather Roy at a recent meeting of experts from the Member States of the European Union, the World Health Organization, NGOs and other stakeholders to discuss research in the area of sexual health, organized by the Directorate-General for Health and Consumer Protection (DG SANCO) of the European Commission.

 The meeting was also an opportunity to share best practice on sexual health strategies across the Member States.  WAGGGS presented the projects which have been developed by the Hungarian Girl Guides and the Cyprus Girl Guides Association to fight HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, showing how Girl Guides and Girl Scouts through education, speaking out and taking action, are enabling young people to take responsibility for this area of their lives.

Representatives of the European Commission presented the first stages of a possible EU-level strategy on sexual health for young people in Europe , on which WAGGGS has already been consulted.  The importance of including young people in the development of strategies for good sexual health was highlighted in the closing words of the Director-General of DG SANCO, and WAGGGS will continue to follow this process in the months to come.