UNA-USA Announces 11th Youth Observer to the UN

Washington, D.C. (August 12, 2022) The United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) announced today that Ms. Himaja Nagireddy has been selected as the 2021-2022 UNA-USA Youth Observer to the United Nations. In this role, Himaja will engage young Americans in the work of the United Nations and amplify their voices at UN events during her one-year term.

Himaja Nagireddy, from Acton, MA, is a proud daughter of South Indian immigrants. She is currently a health equity research fellow at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She recently graduated with an MS (SM-80) in Environmental Epidemiology with a concentration in Infectious Disease Epidemiology from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she was selected as a 2021 Presidential Public Service Fellow.

Serving as the UNA-USA Youth Observer to the UN has been a long-time dream for Himaja. She is constantly inspired by young people who collaboratively organize and lead changes to protect the human rights and dignity of people in their community, especially those who have and continue to disproportionately face injustices that are overlooked and disregarded. They bring the solutions we need to support and scale to achieve a more equal world for all. Recognizing this, Himaja will strive to uplift and embolden the voices and actions of young people across our country in everything she does as this year’s UNA-USA Youth Observer to the UN.  

“At a time when young people across the United States continue to advocate for the government to take action on climate change, Himaja brings to the role a breadth of knowledge on environmental justice.” said Maddie Hren, Youth Engagement Officer at UNA-USA. “Her experience and passion for youth engagement make her the perfect successor to the role.”

UNA-USA’s Youth Observer to the UN program began in 2012. Nagireddy succeeds Ms. Cynthia Yue, a candidate for a Masters of Public Policy and the Harvard Kennedy School.

Learn more about UNA-USA’s Youth Observer program, and follow Himaja as she begins her term as the UNA-USA Youth Observer on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

 

About the United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA):

The United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) is a grassroots movement of Americans who support the vital work of the United Nations in U.S. communities, colleges, and Congress. For more than 75 years, UNA-USA and its national network of 20,000 members and 200 chapters have promoted strong U.S. leadership at the UN through advocacy campaigns, youth engagement, outreach programs, and public events. Learn more.

 

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MEDIA CONTACT: 

Elizabeth Lemons | elemons@unausa.org