I was the first – and, so far, only – person from the North to represent Ireland in the UN Youth Delegate (UNYD) programme.
Unfortunately, my year was marked by Covid, so it was the first time that delegates weren’t able to attend the major UN event in New York.
Another first, as far as I know: I met my partner, Paul Dockery, through the programme, albeit in a roundabout way. But I’ll come back to that.
I first applied for the programme in 2017. I didn’t get it. I was a bit gutted, but I went again, and got it – just in time for a global pandemic.
This meant our travel options were quite limited, and a lot of our engagements happened online. It was really stifling and constraining but, on the plus side, it made us put a bigger focus into promoting alternative ideas for engaging young people. We spent time working on digital inequality among young people, how some have more access to the internet and tools like laptops and iPads than others, and how this impacted on young people’s access to education during the pandemic.
Although it was online, presenting at the Third Committee was incredible, and remains a real standout moment for me. At the time, I was working for an MLA in the Northern Ireland Assembly, and I asked if I could use their office so I could deliver my online speech uninterrupted.
I also worked with my co-delegate, Conn, to organise an in-person event in Brussels as part of a campaign for an advisory opinion on climate change and young people. For this, we had a virtual contribution from former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, who of course went on to senior UN positions. This was a really amazing moment for delegates across Europe to come together, especially as the pandemic had held us all apart.
And this campaign ended up being very successful, leading to an important advisory from the International Court of Justice on climate change and future generations. A lot of us European delegates were very proud of this.
Our term coincided with two significant events: Ireland’s Presidency of the UN Security Council and the return of the Taliban in Afghanistan. As a result, Ireland was leading the conversation on protecting the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan as well as broader issues like peace, security and women’s rights, and we were given the opportunity to speak for young people.
Being a delegate from the North felt like a validation of my Irishness and my ability to speak on behalf of young Irish people. During my term, I also made sure I represented the voices of young British people in the North.
– Tara Grace Connolly, 2020-2021 UN Youth Delegate
