– Anuj Bhandari, Programme Officer, ARROW
I was always curious about the impacts of advocacy. So, as a teenager who used to volunteer at the grassroots, I often wondered, “What does advocacy really do?” It seemed like a lot of meetings, consultations, and presentations, and also the discussions with governmental agencies.
However, my perspective started to shift when I had the opportunity to lead a coalition of youth organisations in Nepal. As we collectively worked towards bettering the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of adolescent girls and young women, I felt like with some of our work, the Government of Nepal took notice of our concerns.
Additionally, I was fortunate enough to represent young people from the Asia-Pacific region at the Women Deliver 2023 Conference, where I was able to converse with government officials from Nepal, and representatives of the civil society. We discussed issues of the youth, and put forth our call-to-action.
Joining ARROW helped further my understanding of advocacy. I was able to witness first-hand how policy changes are driven by years and years of advocacy efforts – all of them collective. The SDG Summit in September 2023 was an important moment for me, as I saw fellow CSO representatives talk about the importance of SRHR and gender equality. I could see the passion in their eyes, I could feel the eagerness for a change in their voices. That was certainly eye opening.
“The more I learn, the more I realise how much I don’t know.”
Albert Einstein
Then came the UN Civil Society Conference 2024 which provided me with additional opportunities to contribute, but more importantly – learn. I was able to see how civil society organisations collaborated to shape a better Pact for the Future, working hard to include SRHR for all in the ground-breaking document. I also saw how much all of the ARROW team members wanted (and want) that to happen–at any cost. Fierce advocates!
Then came the Asia-Pacific Regional Fora ahead of Summit of the Future – Young People at the Forefront, as 82 young people from across the Asia-Pacific region came together to create a comprehensive document with their ask – asks that can definitely enable us towards a better future for all. There I saw people from all parts of their lives working together with hope of that future.
And you know what? The fact that the final version of the Pact includes the text below is a testament to the power of advocacy.
“Universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences.”
This would not have been possible without the constant advocacy efforts of all the civil society, young people, and other relevant stakeholders, and support of governments. There is definitely a lot to be done in terms of achieving gender equality and progressing towards SRHR for all. However, this is a step towards the right direction.
“What does advocacy really do?”
Well, reflecting on my journey, I am now in admiration of advocates. All of them, of course, but more importantly the SRHR advocates who go through a whole journey with quite a bit of hardships to ensure that everyone–each and every one–can live in a just and equal world.