UNITAR Hosts "Stand Up Girls" Workshop on Girls' Empowerment and Leadership

10 November 2017, New York, USA – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) New York Office hosted young girls (aged 7 to 12) participating in the New Jersey-based Stand Up Girls (SUG) for its second consecutive year, following the success of last year’s UNITAR-SUG event. SUG is an organization dedicated to the education of young girls to empower them to stand up for themselves, for others, and as leaders in their communities. They hope to aid young girls in developing the tools they need to stand up for themselves, for others, for what they believe in, and for what is right. Each workshop serves as a platform to talk about important subjects that are often neglected in every day conversations. SUG is co-directed by Professor Alexandra Carter, Clinical Professor of Law, Columbia Law School.

The workshop with UNITAR was envisioned with the hope of educating young girls about the United Nations, women’s roles in the organization, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those pertaining to equitable and quality education, and gender equality. UNITAR New York Head of Office, Mr. Marco Suazo, opened the panel by welcoming the girls and explaining UNITAR’s dedication to ideals of gender parity and gender equality, especially for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Different women leaders from within the United Nations system were invited to speak to the girls about their personal experiences and their advice to the youth, namely Security Officer Ms. Noelia Fernandez of the Security and Safety Service, Security Events Planning Unit, Ms. Allyson Humphrey, Global Focal Point for Youth, UN Women, and the keynote speaker H.E. Ms. Isabelle Picco, Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of Monaco to the UN.

Though coming from different backgrounds, levels, and offering different sets of skills, expertise, and experience, all panelists touched on the need to persist despite challenges and pushback from society, especially those faced by ambitious, professional women in leadership and in higher-ranking positions. These women, in the words of Alex Carter, have thrown down the ladder so that future generations of women and girls can encounter less “no’s” and move farther up in their respective fields, and contribute to meaningful, positive change in the world.

The panel session was closed and followed by a brief tour of the key United Nations chambers and conference rooms, led by Mr. Pelayo Alvarez and Ms. Gaea Morales of UNITAR, which provided key information on the purpose and goals of the United Nations.

Click the image below to see the tweet of the event:

Photo credits: UNITAR Staff.