It’s so hard to pick just one highlight from my term as a UN Youth Delegate for Ireland. So instead I will pick a few.
One was writing and launching “A Generation for Change” which was a report reflecting young people’s views on Ireland’s implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This was published ahead of Ireland’s first ever Voluntary National Review on the SDGs; and we were invited to be part of the delegation to New York and speak at the High Level Political Forum, reflecting the views of the many young people and youth organisations we had engaged with during the year.
We met then-UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and challenged him to meet with young people across the UK and island of Ireland before pursuing his strategy for Brexit.
Being present for President Donald Trump’s first ever address to the UN General Assembly felt like witnessing history and a reshaping of the global order in real-time.
Throughout the year, we had very deep and enriching engagement with young people and youth organisations all over Ireland. It was very inspiring and we felt a duty and motivation to represent their voices wherever we could.
Reflecting back on all of the above, a huge highlight was working with my co-delegate, Lauren. We clicked immediately and worked really well together throughout the year. Working so close with someone can often be hit or miss, but we were well able to balance the serious, focused work with the light-heartedness and had a great dynamic for the year. She was (and still is) a star…even if she did steal my red pens all the time.
Something I could never have predicted did emerge from some of the people I met during that year, though…
During my term, the main topic of conversation across Ireland was Brexit and what it would mean for Ireland – it was still all fairly fresh and unknown at the time. As a youth representative, I was invited to speak on a panel at an All-Island Brexit Dialogue in 2018, alongside other youth reps from across the island. I stayed in contact with some of this panel and followed their campaigns. Through the passage of time and showing a bit of solidarity to their advocacy work, I got to know some of their friends and colleagues too…
About a year later I was introduced to a girl from Belfast named Tara Grace Connolly, who was involved in a campaign advocating for the protection of young people’s rights and interests in Brexit negotiations. So naturally, we had a lot of similar interests and lots to talk about (so much so, that she also served as UNYD in 2020/21).
And then sure didn’t she just happen to be in Dublin one day and I happened to be in Belfast a few weeks later…! Six years and one pandemic later, we’ve bought our first home together and her passion and enthusiasm for human rights and social justice amazes and inspires me just as much today as it did back then.
Serving as UNYD really exposed me to the myriad of challenges facing young people in Ireland. It was a very eye-opening experience, but this made me all the more motivated to represent those young people and advocate for their needs.
I’m now working as an economist in Irish Aid, including alongside colleagues who we collaborated with as youth delegates. My career to date has really felt like an extension of my experience as a youth delegate.
– Paul Dockery, 2016-2017 UN Youth Delegate