The Centre for Adolescent Health was proud to join and launch the Parliamentary Friends of Global Health event on Thursday 7 September in Canberra, Australia.  The event was organised by the Australian Global Health Alliance and supported by the Melbourne Children’s Global Health initiative of the Melbourne Children’s Campus – a partnership of Murdoch Children’s Research Institute; The University of Melbourne, Department of Paediatrics; and The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne.

The Centre’s scientific director of global adolescent health, Professor Pete Azzopardi, and CRE Youth Advocates TEam (CREYATE) member, Angelica Ojinnaka, with MCRI’s Tropical Diseases Theme Director, Professor Andrew Steer, presented a shared vision for child and adolescent health in the Indo-Pacific. Co-Chairs, Dr Anne Webster MP and Dr Mike Freelander MP, led the conversation.

Professor Andrew Steer spoke first, highlighting the progress that’s been made in child health and the important gaps that remain.

Professor Pete Azzopardi followed up by discussing the growing population of young people in the region and their unmet needs.

Angelica Ojinnaka is closing the discussion and drawing upon her own experience (immediate past Australian Youth Representative to the UN), championed for adolescents as key agents for change, and spoke about opportunities for youth engagement and the benefit this brings for young people and for the broader community.

Parliamentarians Sally Sitou MP, Kate Thwaites MP, Dr Sophie Scamps MP, Michael McCormack MP and Clare O’Neil MP also got a sneak peek of the Australian Global Health Alliance latest report, Stronger together – mapping the global health community.