NEW YORK, OCTOBER 19 – “Let the Youth Lead”: the urgent need to give space to young people in decision-making processes was the focus of today’s meeting between the Italian Permanent Representative to the UN, Maurizio Massari, and the Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Youth, Jayathma Wickramanayake.
The focus of the meeting at the headquarters of the Italian Permanent Representative to the UN in New York was the Youth4Climate conference organized by Italy in Milan and in which the Special Envoy participated in person, but also the involvement of young people in political processes and decisions, including opportunities to do so in line with the recommendations of the “Our Common Agenda” of Secretary General Antonio Guterres, and the role of young people towards a peaceful and sustainable future.
Jayathma Wickramanayake was appointed as the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth in June 2017 at the age of 26. In this role, Jayathma works to expand the UN’s youth engagement and advocacy efforts across all four pillars of work – sustainable development, human rights, peace and security and humanitarian action – and serves as a representative of and advisor to the Secretary-General.
Originally from Sri Lanka, Ms. Wickramanayake has worked extensively on youth development and participation, and has played a key role in transforming the youth development sector in her home country.
Prior to taking up her post, Ms. Wickramanayake was instrumental in creating the movement for civic and political engagement of young people, especially young women in Sri Lanka named “Hashtag Generation”. Previously, she advocated for global youth development on an international level including as the first ever Sri Lankan Youth Delegate to the United Nations and as the youth lead negotiator and member of the International Youth Task Force of the World Conference on Youth 2014 where she played a critical role in mainstreaming youth in the Post-2015 Process and in the establishment of World Youth Skills Day. (@OnuItalia)
