It’s just one of many meetings the two young New Yorkers attend, part of a long to-do list that makes up the Speaker of the House’s day.
The concept of existence PGA in a day It’s simple. Two public school students come to the United Nations headquarters and imitate President Francis as he takes on the role of leader of the General Assembly.
They attend the meetings he schedules, participate in the same interviews, and even have lunch with him when he’s at a meeting.
It may seem like it will take all day, but the students are all excited at the prospect of being at the center of world diplomacy.
Mr. Ponomarev and Mr. Aktor are both freshmen in the 10th grade participating in the Global Leaders Academy, a program that brings together multilingual immigrant students to develop leadership skills and encourage them to engage with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Passion for progress
They were selected after attending a six-week workshop and impressing teachers with their passionate essays. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutionsand SDG5: Gender EqualityEach.
“The next generation has its own ideas,” says Mr. Ponomarev confidently. “We are ambitious, and if we are ambitious, we can make a lot of progress.”
Students begin their day by meeting with Felipe Polier, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth, to discuss their ambitions, concerns and questions about the role of young people in policy formation.
“It’s great to hear how they bring this to their own perspective,” said Paullier. “I’m glad that young people have access and opportunities to engage with the SDGs because their engagement is so important.”
The students then stopped by the Office of the President of the General Assembly to hear more ideas on youth engagement from Daniel del Valle Blanco, Vice-President of the Central American Integration System (SICA), Chair of the Youth Advisory Committee for the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), and former Permanent Representative of the International Youth Organization to the United Nations.
The Presidential Trio
Just before meeting Mr. Francis for the first time, their excitement was palpable.
Not only is this a huge moment in your personal development, it’s also the first time we’ve launched a new program in the office.
The first thing the three “presidents” do together is hold an impromptu press conference in the press briefing room where press secretary Monica Grayley is currently preparing to speak to the press.
Mr. Ponomarev and Mr. Akhter sit on the podium with President Francis, taking questions from correspondents about their future plans for the presidency, what they would say to their friends about the United Nations, and more.
Throughout the day, students will continue to gain other valuable insights, including the opportunity to interact with Dezhi Xu. CGTN America After the interview with President Francis (unofficially, of course), they will also attend a meeting with Kenya’s new permanent representative, Ambassador Ekitela Lokale.
The United Nations has long recognized and respected the right of young people to participate effectively in social change, economic growth, and technological innovation.
Focus on youth and the future
The current PGA is no different, having worked hard throughout this year’s 78th General Assembly to put youth at the center as essential change agents.
In particular, he did the following: #AskPGA: Conversations with Youth Attended events during the first Sustainability Week in the history of the General Assembly in April and praised young business leaders from West and Central Africa at the ECOSOC Youth Forum; Networking Night For environmentally conscious youth in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
President Francis said the experience was not only enjoyable, but he hopes his successors will continue the program after he steps down next month.
He also hoped that Mr. Ponomarev and Mr. Akhter would end the day brighter and more excited about the work of the United Nations.
What about the students? They will be working hard on their summer homework, which will be a reflection on their day at the UN, assigned by President Francis himself, and they will be dreaming of a future where they will work more permanently at the UN.
