From 15-25 July 2001, EPF brought a delegation of six Members of Parliament, from Finland, Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium and the European Parliament, to Burkina Faso and Mali to gain first hand information about women's empowerment, youth and the HIV/AIDS situation in the respective countries.

Over the course of this field visit the European parliamentarians had the opportunity to meet with their counterpart parliamentarians, as well as government officials, UNFPA and other UN agencies and most importantly visited projects dealing with women’s empowerment, young people, FGM and HIV/AIDS prevention and care. The Delegation returned to Europe with the strong belief that civil society organizations must be involved in all government plans in matters of reproductive health and rights, and that these issues should be fully integrated in their respective countries’ National Indicative Plans with the EU in implementing the Cotonou Agreement.

Members of the Delegation also returned home with a commitment to addressing women’s rights and to discuss future development aid in terms of addressing women’s rights as a basic tenet of development