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Young leaders join forces in a new Youth Advisory Board
12 August 2024
UN Human Rights and Education Above All (EAA) are continuing to leverage the power of young people by introducing their second cohort of Youth Advisory Board (YAB) members. The project strives to safeguard and promote the human rights of young people worldwide, especially those facing conflict and situations of vulnerability. EAA is a global foundation based in Qatar that aims to transform lives through education.
“We are delighted to continue our partnership with Education Above All, and to empower young people around the world to know and claim their human rights, for a better world,” said Imma Guerras Delgado, Coordinator, Child and Youth Rights Unit for UN Human Rights.
The YAB includes eleven new members: Hadil Abuzaid (Palestine), Ishara Barhame Theophile (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Constance Luk (Malaysia), Nicolas Joncour (France), Gift Chikere (Nigeria), Luisa Romero (Colombia), Almien Noko Mokobodi (South Africa), Max Genin (Canada), Farida Ally (Kenya), Shukurgeldi Myradov (Turkmenistan), Maral Eisar (Afghanistan), and one member from the last year’s YAB - Sicelo Shange (South Africa) (shown below, from top left).
The new cohort of UN Human Rights and Education Above All Youth Advisory Board members. © OHCHR
“EAA welcomes a new cohort of youth advocates who will promote human rights and the fundamental right to education,” said Dr. Maleiha Malik, Executive Director of Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict (PEIC), Education Above All. “With OHCHR, we have a partner who shares our belief in the power of young people as advocates and active citizens. We look forward to working with OHCHR and our youth advocates to promote human rights, quality education for all and build sustainable peace in situations of conflict and insecurity."
YAB member Luisa Romero, 30, from Popayan, Colombia, is an engineer and founder of the youth led organization Get Up and Go Colombia. She wanted to become a YAB member because she believes that young people have a critical role to play in shaping the future, particularly in areas of peacebuilding, social justice, human rights and community development.
“My experiences in Colombia, working directly with communities affected by armed conflict, have shown me the power of youth-led initiatives in driving meaningful change,” she said. “I wanted to bring this perspective to a broader platform, where I can contribute to decision-making processes that impact young people globally.”
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I want to amplify the voices of marginalized youth, particularly those from conflict-affected regions, ensuring their experiences and ideas are heard at higher levels.
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Luisa Romero, Member, Youth Advisor Board & Founder, Get Up and Go Colombia
In 2021, the Office joined forces with EAA and Silatech to kick off a partnership focusing on human rights of youth: ‘Working with and for youth in vulnerable situations including conflict, violence, and insecurity.’
The partnership aimed at empowering and mobilizing young people, and particularly those in vulnerable situations, to stand up for their human rights. This project collaborated with young people, youth-led and youth-focused organizations, to develop and disseminate learning resources on human rights knowledge, skills and advocacy. The former YAB created a Youth Rights Advocacy Toolkit, later launched as the Youth Empowerment System, which is available in Arabic, English, French and Spanish.
The new phase of the project includes the establishment of a new cohort of the YAB, the implementation of the Youth Empowerment System in Colombia, Palestine and South Africa, as well as other locations, and the organization of a Youth Rights Academy in Geneva.
The newly inducted YAB will take on a host of engaging activities including planning of the project implementation, participating in building capacities of young people, advising on the design and content of the Youth Empowerment System microsite and promoting the Youth Empowerment System in their countries and worldwide.
“It is important to include young people in our human rights work,” Guerras-Delgado said. “I am looking forward to collaborating with this new group of impressive young leaders to amplify youth voices and promote youth rights globally.”
