| Major group affiliation: |
- Children and youth
- Women
- Non-governmental organization
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| Affiliation with other organizations: |
CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality is affiliated with various national, regional and international networks which include Right Here Right Now Partnership , the GUSO alliance, the Yes I do! Alliance, and the Rights, Evidence Action! Alliance in the Netherlands, Youth Leadership Working Group, EuroNGOs, Share-Net, the Dutch Youth Council, WO=MEN Dutch Gender Platform, Girls not Brides, IRSP (University of Groningen), Partos, Women Deliver and the Amsterdam Youth Force AIDS2018. • Dutch Youth Council connects dozens of youth organizations in the Netherlands through networking and strategy meetings. They stimulate cooperation between Dutch youth organizations and organize the Dutch UN Youth Delegate program. CHOICE actively cooperates with the Dutch UN Youth Delegates. - CHOICE as an active member of the Amsterdam Youth Force AIDS2018 is responsible for the official youth program of AIDS2018, organized by IAS. • The Right Here Right Now Partnership consists of Rutgers, CHOICE for youth and sexuality, dance4life, Hivos, 3 regional networks: IPPF AR, ARROW, LACWHN. This partnership is active in 11 countries and at international and regional level. • The Yes I do! Alliance consists of Plan the Netherlands, KIT (Royal Tropical Institute in the Netherlands), Rutgers and AMREF Flying Doctors and CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality. This alliance focusses on eliminating gender inequalities and poverty relation to in the issue of early and forced marriage, FGM/C and teenage pregnancies among girls. • The GUSO Alliance consists of CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality, Simavi, IPPF, Rutgers, STOP AIDS NOW! and dance4life. Together this consortium aims to improve young people’s sexual and reproductive health and empowers young people to stand up for their rights. • The Rights, Evidence Action! Alliance consists of CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality, RNW Media and LoveMatters. This partnerships focuses on using data for advocacy. - Within Women Deliver CHOICE is a deliver for good partner, and is represented in the youth leadership working group. • The Youth Leadership Working Group was founded with the support of UNFPA after the Global Youth Forum (Bali, 2012) during which CHOICE was a member of the Steering Committee. The group consists of youth representatives who come from different regional backgrounds and constituencies and aims to mobilize and coordinate young people to meaningfully participate in ICPD beyond 2014 review process and Post-2015 development agenda and follow up. • Girls not Brides is a global partnership of more than 550 civil society organizations from over 70 countries committed to ending child marriage. CHOICE has been a member of Girls not Brides for 2 years now and has promoted the participation of young girls in the partnership. CHOICE also took part in a panel discussion that was organized during the Global Member Meeting in May 2015. • EuroNGOs is a network consisting of NGOs that are based in Europe and is dedicated to the promotion on sexual health and rights. The network organizes an international conference for strategizing every year, and CHOICE is always represented. • Share-net membership includes development organizations, universities, individual consultants, researchers and students working in the fields of SRHR and HIV and AIDS. • Partos is the Dutch association for NGOs working in International Development. The association represents 120 Dutch development organisations that work in the field of poverty reduction, humanitarian aid, human rights and sustainable development. • Additionally, CHOICE has also worked together with the International Research for Students Project (IRSP) of the University of Groningen. |
| Publications: |
N/A |
Statements or documents submitted
Commission on Sustainable Development:
|
N/A |
| Affiliation with other organizations: |
CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality is affiliated with various national, regional and international networks which include Right Here Right Now Partnership , the GUSO alliance, the Yes I do! Alliance, and the Rights, Evidence Action! Alliance in the Netherlands, Youth Leadership Working Group, EuroNGOs, Share-Net, the Dutch Youth Council, WO=MEN Dutch Gender Platform, Girls not Brides, IRSP (University of Groningen), Partos, Women Deliver and the Amsterdam Youth Force AIDS2018. • Dutch Youth Council connects dozens of youth organizations in the Netherlands through networking and strategy meetings. They stimulate cooperation between Dutch youth organizations and organize the Dutch UN Youth Delegate program. CHOICE actively cooperates with the Dutch UN Youth Delegates. - CHOICE as an active member of the Amsterdam Youth Force AIDS2018 is responsible for the official youth program of AIDS2018, organized by IAS. • The Right Here Right Now Partnership consists of Rutgers, CHOICE for youth and sexuality, dance4life, Hivos, 3 regional networks: IPPF AR, ARROW, LACWHN. This partnership is active in 11 countries and at international and regional level. • The Yes I do! Alliance consists of Plan the Netherlands, KIT (Royal Tropical Institute in the Netherlands), Rutgers and AMREF Flying Doctors and CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality. This alliance focusses on eliminating gender inequalities and poverty relation to in the issue of early and forced marriage, FGM/C and teenage pregnancies among girls. • The GUSO Alliance consists of CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality, Simavi, IPPF, Rutgers, STOP AIDS NOW! and dance4life. Together this consortium aims to improve young people’s sexual and reproductive health and empowers young people to stand up for their rights. • The Rights, Evidence Action! Alliance consists of CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality, RNW Media and LoveMatters. This partnerships focuses on using data for advocacy. - Within Women Deliver CHOICE is a deliver for good partner, and is represented in the youth leadership working group. • The Youth Leadership Working Group was founded with the support of UNFPA after the Global Youth Forum (Bali, 2012) during which CHOICE was a member of the Steering Committee. The group consists of youth representatives who come from different regional backgrounds and constituencies and aims to mobilize and coordinate young people to meaningfully participate in ICPD beyond 2014 review process and Post-2015 development agenda and follow up. • Girls not Brides is a global partnership of more than 550 civil society organizations from over 70 countries committed to ending child marriage. CHOICE has been a member of Girls not Brides for 2 years now and has promoted the participation of young girls in the partnership. CHOICE also took part in a panel discussion that was organized during the Global Member Meeting in May 2015. • EuroNGOs is a network consisting of NGOs that are based in Europe and is dedicated to the promotion on sexual health and rights. The network organizes an international conference for strategizing every year, and CHOICE is always represented. • Share-net membership includes development organizations, universities, individual consultants, researchers and students working in the fields of SRHR and HIV and AIDS. • Partos is the Dutch association for NGOs working in International Development. The association represents 120 Dutch development organisations that work in the field of poverty reduction, humanitarian aid, human rights and sustainable development. • Additionally, CHOICE has also worked together with the International Research for Students Project (IRSP) of the University of Groningen. |
| Publications: |
N/A |
| Purpose of the organization: |
CHOICE envisions a world where young people can make their own choices about their lives, including their SRHR. Our youth-led organization is run by an enthusiastic, professional and ambitious team of young people, consisting of a General Board, staff, and volunteers (youth advocates), all aged between 16 and 29. CHOICE follows three main strategies to ensure policies and programs adequately reflect young people’s realities, and in the process improve the day-to-day lives of youth globally: 1. Supporting youth-led advocacy at international, regional, national and local level. 2. Building and strengthening the capacities of young people and youth-led organizations supporting them to engage in youth-led advocacy. 3. Strengthening connections within the global youth movement, and facilitating interregional and intergenerational exchange. Throughout these efforts engaging in youth-adult partnerships and cooperating with other stakeholders such as local authorities, parents, religious and community leaders are key components of CHOICE’s strategies. |
| Activities relevant to the conference of States Parties to the convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: |
N/A |
| Confirmation of the activities of the organization at the regional, national or international level: |
Youth Leadership Program (YLP): The YLP supports young people to become leaders in society. To this end, we implement the following actions: - CHOICE helps young people to become aware of their rights, and empowers them to make their own choices and raise their voice. We do this by providing skills- and knowledge-building trainings on meaningful youth participation (MYP). In order to effectively reach out to a large group young people, we employ a training-of-trainers strategy: CHOICE trains facilitators and peer-educators. - CHOICE strengthens the capacity of young people to do advocacy for SRHR. We do this by providing trainings on advocacy, youth empowerment and youth-adult partnerships. - CHOICE supports youth-led organizations to become professional and sustainable. We do this through providing technical assistance, capacity strengthening on fundraising and organizational matters and by issuing grants to youth organizations. The relationship between CHOICE and partner organizations is based on equality and mutual learning. Proposals for projects are developed together in order to ensure ownership on both sides, and in our joint activities there is a strong focus on sustainability. Our cooperation with partner organizations who receive grants is formalized via letter of agreements in which the contractual obligations between CHOICE and partners are defined. International Advocacy Program (IA): The International Advocacy (IA) program focuses on the adoption and implementation of international policies for young people’s SRHR that reflect the needs and realities of young people. To this end, we implement the following actions: - Supporting young people to meaningfully participate in youth-led advocacy at international level. We do this by supporting and coaching youth advocates at UN conferences, organizing youth caucuses and strategy meetings for young participants, and supporting the Dutch Youth Ambassador for SRHR. - Implementing youth-led advocacy at international level. We do this through participating in UN conferences such as the Commission on Population and Development, the Commission on the Status of Women and the Post-2015 intergovernmental negotiations. During these conferences we collaborate with decision-makers, draft statements, raise awareness through social media and take part in various international civil society networks like the Women’s Major Group and the Major Group on Children and Youth. - Engaging in youth-adult partnerships with adult-stakeholders (such as UN Agencies, permanent missions and policymakers). We do this by meeting with government officials and organizing panel discussions about meaningful youth participation. - Implementing youth-led advocacy strategies towards the Dutch government, monitoring the Netherlands'commitment to the implementation of agenda 2030. |
| A list of members of the governing body of the organization, and their countries of nationality: |
The members of the Board are Esther van Duin (Chair, Dutch Nationality), Gaia Mori (Secretary, Italian Nationality), Marijke Bleeker (General Board member, Dutch Nationality), Jelena Brodnjak (General Board Member, Croatian Nationality), Marnix Heikamp (Treasurer, Dutch Nationality). The members of the Advisory Board are Daan Rijk (Dutch Nationality), Ms. Frouke Karel (Dutch Nationality), Anneke Wensing (Dutch Nationality), Ellen Eiling (Dutch Nationality). |
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