At the United Nations General Assembly as a Youth Delegate
By Simone Fehr
Never before has our world been as interconnected as it is now. Never before has youth been shaping the world’s development to such a degree as they are now. Never before have unconventional, innovative solutions to our world’s challenges been in such high demand as they are now. Therefore, I have always believed that the world’s youth, accounting for one quarter of the total population, is a crucial factor when it comes to our world’s future and we cannot leave this huge potential unutilised. This concern for youth, together with my fascination with the United Nations, motivated me to become a Swiss Youth Delegate to the United Nations.
The official Swiss Youth Delegates to the United Nations (Youth Reps) represent the Swiss young people at the United Nations, as well as other organizations. As a Youth Delegate, I bring the voices of Swiss young people to the United Nations. Before coming to the UN, I had the opportunity to realise the concerns of young people by interacting with them in various events and school visits across the country. Like Youth Delegates from other countries, the Swiss Youth Reps commit themselves to making sure that the 1.2 billion young people on this globe have a say in the world they want today as well as tomorrow.
Certainly one of the highlights of the Youth Rep mandate is the participation in the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where I am writing this article. As part of the Swiss delegation, I am representing Switzerland in the Third Committee (the arm of the General Committee that deliberates on Social, Humanitarian & Cultural issues) during a two week period. A particularly fascinating experience I had already as a Youth Delegate was to participate in a photo opportunity with His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, the United Nations Secretary-General. Following this remarkable event, a large number of the Youth Delegates had the chance to address the Third Committee of the General Assembly to deliver their countries’ statement. I spoke on behalf of Switzerland about unaccompanied migrant children, a topic I have chosen due to its importance. .
Unaccompanied migrant children continue to be subject to exploitation, detention and forced returns in all parts of the world. Switzerland and many other countries of origin, transit or destination are equally confronted with this sad reality. In addition, I organized a working breakfast in cooperation with the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations, where experts discussed the issues of unaccompanied migrant children from different perspectives. In addition, these weeks in New York have been characterised by negotiations, side events, and exchanges with other Youth Delegates – a truly inspiring time.
We are hoping that many more Member States will nominate Youth Delegates to the United Nations. This programme constitutes a unique opportunity for the involved and is a crucial factor when it comes to youth participation on an international level.
About the Author:
Simone Fehr, aged 25, is a Swiss Youth Delegate to the United Nations 2014. She is doing her MSc in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science. In addition, she has been active in various youth-related projects in Switzerland as well as abroad.
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