UNA-USA and U.S. Department of State Name New U.S. Youth Observer at the UN

September 13, 2013

WASHINGTON — The United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) and the U.S. Department of State have named Tiffany Taylor as the next U.S. Youth Observer at the United Nations. As the Youth Observer, Taylor has been awarded the opportunity of a lifetime; a chance to see the United Nations in action, in person, during the UN General Assembly and other high-profile UN events. She emerged from nearly 700 applicants to the program, and will report on her experiences to peers and the entire world in the coming weeks.

Tiffany Taylor grew up in the rural South. She graduated from the University of Chicago as a student marshal, the highest undergraduate academic honor, with majors in Political Science, Sociology, and Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies (Asian American Studies).

“The youth voice at the United Nations is more important now than ever,” said UNA-USA Executive Director Chris Whatley. “As the 2013-2014 Youth Observer, Tiffany will take her experiences to the world’s most recognizable global forum in her role as Youth Observer; she will act as the voice for U.S. youth at the UN, and work with her peers from other countries to confront our shared challenges.”

For Taylor, the UN has the potential to create more stories like hers, where more girls receive opportunities to better their lives. Despite the challenges she faced growing up in school and at home, Taylor broke through. During her undergraduate years, she founded two non-profits and studied and conducted research abroad in France, China, South Africa, South Korea, Zambia and Tanzania.

The U.S. Youth Observer program represents an effort to empower young voices on the global stage. In addition to attending UN meetings, the Youth Observer will travel to speak to UNA-USA Chapters 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.

Taylor will attend events in New York City during UN General Assembly week, 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.

Learn more about the position by watching last year’s Youth Observer in action at http://bit.ly/18UMnU0.

 

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.