Youth in Action: Meet the EU Youth Delegates to the UN
Globally, more than one-third of the world’s population is under 25 years old, the largest generation of young people in history. Unfortunately, youth often bear a disproportionate burden from crises such as armed conflicts, climate change and rising inequality.
With the new Youth Action Plan, the EU has committed to placing youth at the centre of its external action for sustainable development, equality, and peace and giving them a real voice to shape the solutions for a better future.
Through the EU Youth Delegate program, each year two young people will be selected to represent young Europeans at the United Nations. Youth delegates will focus on enhancing European youth participation in the UN’s work and reaching out to young audiences across the continent to promote and increase the visibility of the EU at the UN. Connecting young people with the goal of working together to empower youth and break down barriers in order to secure stronger youth engagement in the UN’s work is at the core of the program.
Engaging, empowering and connecting young people is the best investment we can make for people and the planet.
Meet Lucija Karnelutti and Nadia Gullestrup Christensen, our first two EU Youth Delegates for the 77th UN General Assembly Session.
Follow them on Twitter @EUYouthDelegate and tune-in to their podcast Who Rules the World on Spotify, Apple and Soundcloud.
Lucija Karnelutti (Slovenia) is EU Youth Delegate to the United Nations for the UNGA 77th session. Previously, she was Slovenian Youth Delegate to the UN and Board Member of the Organizing Bureau of European School Student Unions (OBESSU), representing European school students of general and vocational education, as well as monitoring and giving recommendations on the interests of youth in various public policies at national and European level, role which she undertook also as a member of the Council of the Government of Slovenia for Youth. Lucija has also worked in youth organizations and stakeholders' working groups focusing on youth advocacy on education, social and environmental matters.
During her mandate as EU Youth Delegate to the UN, she will focus on securing meaningful engagement of youth in UN dialogues in various policy areas that affect their lives. Lucija will also focus on access to education, with a gender dimension, women and youth rights, climate and environment and other cross-sectoral topics particularly important for young people.
Lucija holds a bachelor's degree in international relations and is pursuing a master’s degree in cognitive science.
Nadia Gullestrup Christensen (Denmark) is EU Youth Delegate to the United Nations for the UNGA 77th session. She is also a Danish Youth Delegate to the UN for Climate and Environment – in this capacity in 2021 she participated in the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, and she will join the COP27 in Sharm-el-Sheikh and the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal in 2022. Nadia is Chair of the Danish Youth Climate Council, providing recommendations to Denmark’s Minister of Climate and Energy. In the Council, she works with the other members to create a global alliance of youth climate councils, and to strengthen local engagement by creating local youth climate councils in Danish municipalities.
As an EU Youth Delegate, Nadia will focus on creating partnerships across generations and between civil society and the private sector. This is important for her, as she believes that new partnerships must be created to ensure sustainable development where no one is left behind. Strongly interested in climate and biodiversity, she will continue pushing for more action to keep the 1.5-degree target alive, and she remains a fierce advocate for stronger efforts to limit the extinction of species.
Nadia holds a bachelor's degree in natural resources, with a specialization in environmental economics, and she currently studies for a master’s degree in environmental economics.
New #EUatUNYouthDelegates Lucija Karnelutti and Nadia Gullestrup Christensen delivered the EU statement at the opening of the 3rd Committee @UN??
?Their message: We need to invest in quality & free education for everyone, including young women & girls??https://t.co/AMFCkQC9WC pic.twitter.com/VaTK0XFSzq— ??EU at UN-NY (@EUatUN) September 29, 2022
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