During the Khareef Salalah Festival, which takes place annually in the southern region of Oman - Salalah - to mark the Khareef, or Autumn season, which brings with it auspicious rains, mild weather and turns the mountains shades of green, the UNFPA supported two regional activities which involved participants from all over the GCC Region.

One event, which the UNFPA supported in collaboration with the Tawasul Think Tank in Oman, is a meeting focusing on the role of the youth and how they can be more involved in think tanks and civic engagement. This participation was held under the theme "Youth, Participation and the Future" and was inaugurated with a speech from the UNFPA GCC Area Office Representative a.i, Mr. Asr Toson. The meeting included youths from all 6 GCC states, including the UNFPA supported Y-PEER Oman and Y-PEER Bahrain members.

The other, was a 10 day long participation in the Festival itself, following the successes of both last years Salalah participation, and participation in the annual Muscat Festival. The members from Y-PEER Bahrain also participated with the Y-PEER Oman members in this initiative, where they performed outreach to raise awareness on HIV, and performed puppetry theatre performances to raise awareness about the importance of Family Planning.

On the UNFPA led World Population Day - 11th July - the Y-PEERs held a special performance of puppetry theatre, exploring three key themes in barriers to family planning in the region, and particularly Oman. They, along with partners from the MOH and UNFPA staff, talked to visitors of their booth and distributed fact sheets and informational material about reproductive health, family planning, and the importance of both.

For pictures of these events and participation, please visit the photo gallery