It is the first day of the World Health Assembly, and all of the delegates are packed into the grand Assembly Hall at the Palais des Nations. I can’t believe I’m here. Looking down from high up in the galleries, we can see rows of tables below occupied by ministers of health. Words from the speakers is playing into my ear from a plastic headpiece – twist the dial and we can hear it played live in Spanish, French, Chinese, Russian, or Japanese. Right at the front of the room is the stage, signified by the well-recognised gold plated emblem of the United Nations.

“Young people should NEVER be viewed as a ‘by the way’. We should be involved and included all the way in decision making, on all agendas!”

The words of 18-year old youth activist from Zambia, Natasha Mwansa, echo across the hall. As she says her first words, she does so with such passion and conviction that everyone in the room wakes up and pays attention. I can hear the exclamation marks in her voice. The moderator amusedly asks her to slow down for the translators, and we all laugh. It is a powerful moment – these precious minutes that a young person, representing young people all around the world, has this platform to speak to world leaders on health. She demonstrates that we are here to make change, and we have something to say.

“Health should not be a tool to get votes, it is a social issue that should be granted to people,” said Natasha. It is our role as young people to hold our leaders accountable. That is what advocacy is about.

As part of a delegation of 60 young health professionals from around the world representing the International federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), youth engagement in global health was on the forefront of our advocacy agenda. We were a diverse group representing medical students, junior doctors, nurses, veterinary students, dental students and chiropractic, from every region of the IFMSA – Asia Pacific, Americas, Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, and Africa.

There’s no denying that young people are hugely involved in global health all around the world, particularly at a grassroots community level. We are idealistic, not yet jaded (hopefully) by the realities of trying to make change. We are passionate and determined, invested in issues that affect our future. We are connected, social media natives, and we know how to harness technology to gather information and bring people together. We need only look at the ever-growing movement of the Climate Marches worldwide, spearheaded by 16 year old Swedish student Greta Thunberg, to realise that young people are a force to be reckoned with.

Attending the WHA also taught me that young people also have a significant role to play, not only in communities, but at a higher decision-making level. It is absolutely vital that our voices are heard in these platforms, where leaders are discussing issues like climate change, universal health coverage, sexual and reproductive health – issues that affect us now, and will do for many years to come.

“We’re not experts with decades of lived experience. But we bring something else: we’re the future,” said Dr Marie Hauerslev, Chair-elect of NCD Child and former Vice-President for External Affairs of the IFMSA.

Throughout the WHA, IFMSA delegates championed youth engagement both directly and indirectly. We met with our country health ministers to discuss pertinent issues related to our respective countries. Some were recognised as official “Youth Delegates” in their country delegations, an important way of recognising young people’s involvement at a country level. We attended side events, participated in discussions, and read advocacy statements at the Committees on topics including health emergencies, universal health coverage, sexual and reproductive health, refugee and migrant health, antimicrobial resistance, health workforce, pandemic influenza, and climate change and health.

We tweeted actively, sharing quotes and moments from side events. Like Lancet Editor-In-Chief Richard Horton’s rousing speech to the Plenary on the first day, declaring his five top priorities for global health to roaring applause, ending with a call to “fully fund the WHO, un-earmarked, no ifs, ands or buts!” Or the candid moment when Professor Wendy Graham gifted a mop to Dr Tedros at an event on the role of access to water, sanitation and hygiene on antimicrobial resistance.