YOUNG campaigners from Bromsgrove are on a mission to end extreme poverty.
Meg Bassi and Olly Kay will join forces with hundreds of other activists when they head to an international summit in Paris to discuss the issue.
Meg, 17 and Olly, 19 are Youth Ambassadors for The ONE Campaign. They will join more than 250 young campaigners from eight countries at the ONE Summit, which will run alongside the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Forum at the start of June.
The OECD Forum will see delegates from some of the world’s richest countries convene to debate major global issues, including ending extreme poverty.
Meg and Olly said they would be there to demand politicians ‘put their money where their mouth was’ and made decisions which boosted global development, while taking a real focus on girls and women who are the key to ending poverty.
Meg said: “I can’t wait to attend the ONE Summit and show politicians how much passion young people like me have about ending extreme poverty.
“The OECD Forum is a place where some of the most important issues affecting our planet are discussed and is a place where decision makers can choose to implement policies which bring around real change.”
Olly added: “We could end extreme poverty by 2030 – in just 15 years.
“This is an important issue for me and my friends.
“I want to make Bromsgrove proud that I’m standing up for global justice.”
The Youth Ambassadors will be meeting high-profile individuals – including Erik Solheim, chair of the OECD Development Assistance Committee, and Andre Vallini, French Secretary of State for Development.
They also plan to meet with politicians from the UK and other countries.
Saira O’Mallie, interim director of ONE, said: “Our Youth Ambassadors are one of the greatest assets the UK has in helping raise awareness of the significant progress we’ve made toward ending extreme poverty.
“Politicians know this and listen when they speak.
“I can’t wait to see what they achieve this year.”
This is the third year the Youth Ambassador programme has run in the UK. Previously, Youth Ambassadors have attended the G7 Summit in Munich and the UN General Assembly in New York.
