“We have a generation of youth who are active, resilient, and fearless,” said Ahmad Hajaree, a youth advocate for Education Above All, a global foundation based in Qatar that aims to transform lives through education.

UN Human Rights is leveraging the power of young people by partnering with Education Above All on a project that strives to safeguard and promote the human rights of young people worldwide, especially those facing conflict and situations of vulnerability.

“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.

A highlight of the project will be a new Youth Rights Academy. The programme will bring young leaders to Geneva to focus on thought leadership and human rights advocacy by providing human rights training and an environment conducive to debate and collaboration. The project will also include capacity building of young people at the country level.

There will also be a new cohort of young leaders for the EAA-UN Human Rights Youth Advisory Board, which was launched in 2022 and featured 10 young human rights advocates from all over the world. The former Board were able to create an impactful Youth Rights Advocacy Toolkit, which is now available in Arabic, English, French and Spanish. They held consultations with young people worldwide to develop the toolkit to help young people, including those living in marginalized communities, to stand up for their human rights.

“The toolkit is a collection of resources for youth to use in order to strategize how they want to do their advocacy,” Hajaree said. “It’s really a one stop shop for youth to be able to know exactly how to get their message out there in the best way possible. We want young people to get their voices heard.”