Khmer Youth and Social Development organization (KYSD), on the International Youth Day 2011, held another campaign raising awareness about youth sexual and reproductive health and rights in Rattanakiri province.

With the collaboration of United Nation Population Funds (UNFPA) and Khmer Youth and Social Development organization (KYSD) successfully organized a youth forum on  Young People Forging the Future - Realizing their sexual and reproductive health and rights in which 290 young students and indigenous people participated.

The forum aimed to inform and educate those young people to realize about their rights and responsibility of their sexual and reproductive health related to the world concerning problem world population reaching 7 billion on the 31st October 2011.

 It is a time of both opportunity and challenging for youth. Population growth starts from us. We should do something to be able to live in this challenging world , Pen Sophanara , UNFPA representative, said in the forum urging the young participants to be critical over their life and family planning to secure a safe world. She explained that world population growth -- 7billion -- leads the world to exist more poverty, hunger, inequity, and an extremely challenging place for people to live in. By realizing the problem and spreading globally,  we can ensure a well being and healthy living condition for survivor today as well as  our next generation. She added that  our decision today will make a change to the society, the environment and the world we live in .

The forum followed by traditional dance, fashion show of indigenous people, and the joining of two speakers expertise on the reproductive health issue Dr. Chea Samnang and Mr. Srun Srorn provided knowledgeable messages regarding sexual health, sexual transmitted diseases such as HIV and the rights to reproductive health.

Though having never been joining any forum before discussing about  sex , yet those young students and indigenous people appear not to afraid to talk at all. When asked if  sex is a basic need for human being, a girl of PROV origin stands up answering  yes adding more that  it is according to individual, and that honesty is important for safe sex .

Another 15 years old girl of PROV origin suggests to have this forum happened again as she has learnt new knowledge and promise to help spread the knowledge to her villagers about reproductive health and especially about sexual transmitted disease - HIV or AIDs.

Mr.Chhoun Borith, executive director of Khmer Youth and Social Development organization, told that the idea of holding this forum are first, to celebrate the international youth day, second to promote sexual and reproductive health and rights among young people living in indigenous areas and to encourage young people to take action as the world reaching 7 billion.

 We need to pay more attention to this problem, especially young people. We should not abandon them. The government and many NGOs are struggling to have this problem solved , he said  yet youth should involve themselves to resolve the problem too , he said.

H.E Thorng Savon points some suggestions to young people as well as NGOs in a way to safe sex and the awareness of the rights to reproductive health. He asks young people to avoid drug, unsafe sex which leads to contracting HIV or AIDs. In addition to that, young participants joining the forum have to be the model of others and encourage more youth to be more involved and be aware of their action today and make a change for a better future for all.

His Excellency Thorng Savon showed a great pleasure to have the forum happened and hoping to cooperate more often with Khmer Youth and Social Development in the near future on this issue. He said  I hope this forum can be a part of problem solving and I suggest UNFPA and KYSD to base in Rattanakiri to provide this knowledge to our young people .

Each participant gets a note book and a pen. They note down while listening to the speaker presenting them about the different topics. In the end of the forum, they are asked five questions to estimate their knowledge getting from the forum. Most of them answer the right answers which show that they learnt from the issue today.

 I want this to happened again , said a 15 years old PROV origin girl as she enjoyed so much joining the forum.

The forum ends at 12 p.m. with the smile of participants walking out of the hall.