One of the major events of this year’s CSW was the Youth High Level Dialogue: Take the Hot Seat. The dialogue consisted of a panel of experts, each “taking the hot seat”: answering questions posed by youth from the audience.
The dialogue itself was moderated by a high school student and the entire event was geared towards the UN’s push to have more youth involvement in crafting the policies of the future.
The dialogue held a great amount positive sentiment and calls to action, particularly for youth. One of the experts on the panel, Ms. Marta Lucia Ramirez, noted that while it is easy to criticize, it is much harder to take action yourself. Ms. Nadine Gasman, another expert also said that she was excited that young people are the ones asking questions. She went further to elaborate on the progress of her country, Brazil, in building programs to engage with youth and combat gender inequality. She mentioned a program for young people who are building a future for themselves, which targets people who are neither studying nor working. This is particularly important for young women as they often do not have the chance to do either, taking care of a family member instead. Gasman noted an expanded healthcare program and places for dialogue with young women, bringing more youth involvement into government policies.
Ms. Adriana Salvatierra, the youngest female president of Bolivia, was also on the panel. She also talked about her country’s efforts to close the gender gap after being asked about how she will use her position to ensure equality for women. President Salvatierra responded that she was addressing the issue in several ways, including laws that guarantee youth and female rights, political youth councils, and a great deal of youth representation in legislature.
Meeting: High Level Intergenerational Dialogue “Take the Hot Seat”
Date/Location: Wednesday March 13, 2019; 11:30 to 12:45; Conference Room 1, United Nations Headquarters, New York, NY
Speakers: Dialogue Moderator, Ms. Marta Lucia Ramirez, Ms. Nadine Gasman, Ms. Adriana Salvatierra, Ms. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Ms. Jayathma Wickramanayake, Ms. Gunilla Carlsson, Ms. Geraldine Byrne Nason
Written by: WIT Representative Bertina Kudrin
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