United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has made a major push to engage and empower young people, recognizing their participation as essential for identifying new solutions that will secure the breakthroughs that our world urgently needs.
To that end, in 2023, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), with generous financial support from the Government of Germany, called upon young people to apply for the 2nd edition of the United Nations Youth Champions for Disarmament Training Programme – an innovative learning programme aimed at empowering youth to work for disarmament in their communities. More information on the previous edition of the programme is available here.
Following an intensive selection process, which included the review of nearly 1,000 applications from over 128 countries, 15 outstanding young leaders from the Americas, Africa and Europe, and Asia have been selected for the second edition of the United Nations Youth Champions for Disarmament Training Programme.
Meet the UN Youth Champions for Disarmament
What is the UN youth champions for disarmament training programme?
Through a regional approach, the training programme will bring together a geographically diverse group of young disarmament advocates and enable them to share their specific regional perspectives –from Africa and Europe; Asia and the Pacific; the Americas and the Caribbean regions – and connect them to the global disarmament discourse. In addition, three job opportunities with UNODA for young professionals have been built into the training programme to support its implementation at the regional levels.
The selected 15 United Nations Youth Champions for Disarmament will receive training in the general principles of disarmament, non-proliferation, and arms control and its linkages to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
After completion of the introductory courses, regular exchanges with experts from think tanks, civil society organizations and the diplomatic field will be facilitated by UNODA, followed by regional workshops and youth forums. At the end of the training, the 15 Youth Champions will be invited to present their perspectives at an event at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.