United Nations World Youth Leadership Summit

Hi everyone,
Well this is my second last day before I finish my post at the Australian Mission. I feel a sad but I know that all good things come to an end. It also means that I will be arriving on a Costa Rican beach in a few days!!

I wanted to write a bit about the United Nations World Youth Leadership Summit I attended last Sunday, Monday and Tuesday here in New York. I was very lucky to be the Australian delegate attending. The coolest thing by far was that there was representation from every country in the world except for Solomon Islands, New Zealand, Sudan and Taiwan (the Chinese government kicked up a fuss because there were two delegates who cam to New York from Taiwan and because of politics the Chinese made the UN take the Taiwan delegates home - China blocks Taiwan as an independent country and therefore it can't be a member state of the UN). Anyway, I met so very cool people at the Summit - awesome young people who are doing extraordinary things in their countries. I met people from so many places and they told me about their projects they are doing. I met this girl from the Ivory Coast who has contracted HIV and when she was young and she has decided to go around to villages in her country raising awareness of HIV. I met this guy from East Timor who is working in local communities trying to bring peace. I chatted with guys from Mexico who are working hard to make sure young people don't discriminate against people. I also met a girl from Western Sahara who grew up in a refugee camp in Algeria (because Morocco kicked all the people out of Western Sahara to make it part of Morocco) and some how this girl has made it to the US and is studying medicine. Very cool.

From this Summit, everyone who attended have been named Goodwill Ambassadors by the UN. So now I am the Goodwill Ambassador for the millennium Development Goals for Australia. Sounds cool but my goodness have we got some work to do!!

I must also mention that one of the nights we had a concert to fight against Malaria. It was held in the General Assembly Hall - I have never seen it used as a party space - maybe this was because if hasn't been used as one before! It was so much fun dancing on the delegate benches and behind the Speaker's Podium!!!

Anyway I have got a plan which I hope will link people up in developing countries with people from developed countries and vica versa. It will be a way in which ordinary people can help out others through a very simple yet moving process. I will keep you posted....


Anyhow, thanks to everyone for all your lovely messages.

Lots of Love
Elise