Fimba is a youth from Burkina Faso who is attending the Toronto AIDS conference, sponsored by the Guttmacher Institute. Translation by Leila Darabi from Guttmacher.

I just got back from the opening ceremony and the presentations were interesting, especially the presentation of Bill Gates and a young Indonesian woman living with HIV.

Dr. Helene Gayle directed our attention to governments and the promises that they made during the past two conferences. She recommended that the promises they made aren't put in drawers, but that they are made real and kept. She gave the example that most of the governments made promises to include civil society in development programs and she recognized that some of them have kept these promises, that this is a good thing and she urged governments to continue in this way.

I saw my minister of health and also the permanent secretary of the National Council in the Fight Against AIDS in Burkina Faso in the audience. It pleased me to see them there because Dr. Gayle offered me an opportunity to reclaim, as an activist and member of civil society, my right to actively participate in the fight – and to reclaim as well greater participation of young people in Burkina Faso.

Later this week, I have a meeting with my minister of health, the permanent secretary, and the other members of Burkina Faso official delegation to the conference. During this meeting, I will speak on behalf of the youth delegation and my youth network to explain one more time our sexual and reproductive health needs for access to prevention and youth-friendly services, and other development issues specific to youth like unemployment, girls' education, etc.

I hope my participation at this meeting helps other young people who couldn't come to the conference, but whom I represent.