As part of its ongoing cooperation with Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), PMNCH actively participated in the IPU Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland from 23-27 March 2024. The central theme of this Assembly was "Parliamentary diplomacy: Building bridges for peace and understanding". The Geneva Declaration, which captures the outcomes of the general debate, has a strong equity focus, and gives visibility to women, children and young people. It recognizes that, vulnerable, marginalized and underrepresented groups, including women, children and youth, are unduly impacted by conflict, worsening existing social inequalities. Furthermore, it calls on parliamentarians to “increase focus on human security … by prioritizing essential needs such as food, health care and environmental security, and on guaranteeing equal rights for all, as the main path to fostering both peace and development.”The PMNCH delegation actively participated in the discussions of the Assembly and IPU Governing council and conducted a series of bilateral meetings to i) raise the visibility of WCAH issues in topics being discussed in the general debate, resolutions passed by the 148th Assembly and relevant discussions of the standing committees ii) contribute to the technical work of the IPU and Parliaments on health and iii) deepen prospects for collaborating with parliaments on WCAH issues. It contributed to the meetings of Women Parliamentarians and of Young Parliamentarians, as well as the Advisory Group on Health. PMNCH also participated in the panel discussion on climate change and conflict, contributed to the Special Segment on Accountability and a workshop on strengthening climate legislation, organized a roundtable with nine Young MPs and met with nearly 20 delegations from member states, including Canada, Somalia and Zambia. An important issue during this spring’s assembly is the current threat to legislation protecting girls and women from FGM in The Gambia. PMNCH was alarmed by an effort to repeal a 2015 law that bans FGM in the Gambia because of the grave health consequences for girls and women and, associated ripple effects that could embolden efforts in the region to claw back protections for SRHR should this effort succeed. PMNCH actively advocated against FGM by raising this concern at the meeting of the IPU Advisory Group for Health, through a floor intervention in the plenary of the Assembly and a joint-video interview with members of parliament from the Gambia and Kenya. Subsequently, PMNCH and IPU leadership has released a joint statement that has been widely disseminated by several media outlets, urging the Gambia to uphold the ban on FGM. Based on PMNCH’s efforts to prioritize women’s children’s and adolescent’s (WCA) health and well-being issues in the fight against climate change, PMNCH collaborated with like-minded parliamentarians to strengthen the resolution on climate action such that it recognizes the specific vulnerabilities of women, girls, and youth to the impacts of climate change and, therefore, the importance of meaningfully engaging women and young people in processes to fight climate change through gender- and age- responsive means.Additionally, the PMNCH delegation sought opportunities to rally support among parliamentarians for the draft resolution for the 77th World Health Assembly in May relating to maternal and child health. The delegation also informed IPU members about momentum gathered on the issue of adolescent well-being through the commitments secured and data captured as part of the 1.8 billion Young People for Change Campaign. Parliamentarians shared how PMNCH can support them to advocate strongly for WCAH issues through provision of capacity building support, including leveraging evidence generated from the commitment scoping and assessment reports developed by country partners. The PMNCH delegation also strategized collaborations with key parliamentarians, on how to give visibility to WCAH issues through high level engagements in 2024, including those alongside the COP29. Furthermore, the UN Assistant Secretary General from the UN Youth Office, Felipe Paullier who recently started his mandate, participated in a dialogue with parliamentarians, highlighting the importance of meaningful adolescent and youth engagement requiring a global standard.Actions arising from these rich discussions will be followed up in ensuing engagements, including during the 77th World Health Assembly to be held from 27th May – 1 June 2024, the 33rd PMNCH Board Meeting (4th-5th July 2024) and leading up to the 149th IPU Assembly in Geneva (13-17 October 2024).