Florida Native Selected as New U.S. Youth Observer to UN

September 3, 2015, WASHINGTON D.C. — The United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) and the U.S. Department of State today named Donya Nasser the next U.S. Youth Observer to the United Nations. As Youth Observer, Nasser will be the fourth 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 600 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.   

Nasser recently completed her baccalaureate studies with honors from St. John’s University in New York City. Currently Nasser is a Truman-Albright Fellow, serving in the Office of Rural Health Policy at the Department of Health and Human Services. She seeks to build a career that promotes cross-cultural dialogue on these crucial issues. 

“For my generation, the opportunities that we are inheriting are almost as great as the challenges,” said Nasser. “As the U.S. Youth Observer to the UN, I will be able to relate the hopes and expectations of my peers, as well as give a voice to our shared concerns about the future of our world. In my new role, I am eager to empower youth and elevate their voices.”

“The youth voice at the UN is more important now than ever,” said UNA-USA Executive Director Chris Whatley. “As the 2015-6 Youth Observer, Donya 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, and discuss her experiences with the media and the general public, and advise UNA-USA on potential future youth roles at the United Nations. 

Nasser will attend events in New York City during UN high level week from September 28 through October 2, as well as a number of side events around the Social, Humanitarian Cultural Affairs Committee (Third Committee) of the General Assembly in October. 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.