Y-PEER, the international youth network that PETRI supports, has been awarded during “Let’s Talk Ceremony” with the Maxx Royal Award for Outstanding Achievements in Combating Taboos and Stigma around Women’s Health. On behalf of Y-PEER international, Anmar Khalid, international coordinator in charge of Y-PEER and fellow at PETRI-Sofia, received the Award.

Y-PEER, with the support of UNFPA Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regional Office, joined Let’s Talk high level event on 25th-26th October 2018 at the Maxx Royal Resorts Kemer in Antalya, Turkey. The event was hosted by the philanthropist, campaigner and supermodel Natalia Vodianova, the social enterprise Elbi and UNFPA, and was focused on tackling taboos around women’s health. The programme of the event brought together leaders, influencers, activists, celebrities and global policy-makers, representatives of the fashion industry, the sports and the private sector and the government – all with the aim of tackling the taboo around women’s health.

Let’s Talk Award Ceremony was honored by Special Guests:

Mrs. Emine Erdoğan, First Lady of Turkey
Dr Natalia Kanem, Under Secretary General of the UN and the Executive Director of UNFPA.

Anmar Khalid, on behalf of Y-PEER delivered a thank you speech during the award ceremony focused on the work of the Y-PEER, its achievements and its Strategic Plan 2019-2021. Also he was speaker at LET’S TALK! PANELS. Khalid highlighted how the right environment is key for breaking down stigma. He said, “We need to fight for safe spaces for young people to learn about their bodies and sexuality in countries where strong taboos make it impossible to talk about these things at all.”

During the networking part of the ceremony Dr Natalia Kanem, Under Secretary General of the UN and the Executive Director of UNFPA, expressed her happiness towards the developments of Y-PEER movement worldwide.

Y-PEER would like to take the opportunity to thank Ms. Alanna Armitage, Director of UNFPA’s Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and Mr. Rune Brandrup, Youth Programme Specialist at UNFPA’s Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, for recognizing and endorsing the work of the network by their nomination and kind invitation to the event and the Award Ceremony.

Thousands of Y-PEER members at the national level in 52 countries around the world are very proud and grateful for the unconditional support and partnership of UNFPA regional offices and country offices in the regions of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Middle East, North Africa (Arab States) and the Asia-Pacific, which generated this sense of belonging to one big family with shared goals. Therefore, Y-PEER thanks UNFPA for being a key player for the Y-PEER advancement and the young people’s development and empowerment programs.