Equality Advocate Selected as New U.S. Youth Observer to UN

July 21, 2016, WASHINGTON D.C. — The United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) and the U.S. Department of State today named Nicol Perez the next U.S. Youth Observer to the United Nations. As Youth Observer, Perez will be the fifth American to represent a youth voice at the United Nations General Assembly and other UN events throughout the next year. She was selected from more than 350 applicants to the program. She will engage with other youth observers representing nations from around the world and report on her experiences over the year.  

Born in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, Nicol immigrated to the U.S. at age seven. She is a strong advocate for social and economic equality. Nicol’s experiences coming from Bolivia have fueled her passion for helping underprivileged communities gain access to the resources and support needed to have equal opportunities. Nicol currently resides in San Francisco, California, where she is a Product Marketing and Communications associate at Instagram.

“As the U.S. Youth Observer to the UN, I am eager to empower youth and elevate their voices,” said Perez. “I feel passionately about relating the hopes and expectation of my peers, as well as giving a voice to our shared concerns about the future of the world.”

“The youth voice at the UN is more important now than ever,” said UNA-USA Executive Director Chris Whatley. “As the 2016-7 Youth Observer, Nicol will take her experiences to the world’s most significant global forum, where she will represent the voice for U.S. youth and work with her peers from other countries to confront our shared challenges.” 

The U.S. Youth Observer program empowers young voices on the global stage. In addition to attending UN meetings and other forums, the Youth Observer will travel to speak to UNA-USA Chapters and youth audiences around the country, blog, tweet, discuss her experiences with the media and the general public, and advise UNA-USA on potential future youth roles at the United Nations. The U.S. Youth Observer position is a program of the U.S. Department of State and is operated by UNA-USA. For more information on the U.S. Youth Observer program, please visit www.unausa.org/usyouth.  

To schedule an interview with the Youth Observer, please contact Amy Auguston at aauguston@unausa.org or 516.830.0198.

Tweet This: .@unausa, @StateDept, @usun & @State_IO announce the next @USYouthObserver at the #UN! Meet her: http://bit.ly/1z2iajs

Tweet This: Congrats to @USYouthObserver Nicol Perez being named the next #USYouth Observer at the #UN! http://bit.ly/RqEC2s

###

Media Contact: Amy Auguston; aauguston@unausa.org; 516.830.0198

About UNA-USA
The United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) is a membership organization dedicated to inform, inspire, and mobilize the American people to support the ideals and vital work of the United Nations. For 70 years, UNA-USA has worked to accomplish its mission through its national network of Chapters, youth engagement, advocacy efforts, education programs, and public events. UNA-USA is a program of the United Nations Foundation. UNA-USA and its sister organization the Better World Campaign represent the single largest network of advocates and supporters of the United Nations in the world. Learn more about UNA-USA’s programs and initiatives at www.unausa.org. 
 

About the United Nations Foundation
The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by global corporations, foundations, governments, and individuals. For more information, visit www.unfoundation.org.