Young Mayo man selected as United Nations Youth Delegate

THE Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Minister for Defence, Micheál Martin, has formally announced Mohammad Naeem as a United Nations Youth Delegate.

Mohammad (18) is from Claremorris and has just completed his Leaving Certificate at St. Colman's College. He is the youngest person to ever be selected and the first young person from Mayo selected for this position.

He has heavily been involved in activism on a regional, national and international level. In 2022 he represented Ireland at the UN in Geneva with the Ombudsman for Children where he met with the UN Committee on the rights of the child and spoke about issues affecting children in Ireland.

Also last year, he was awarded Mayo Young Person of the Year, and was name Mayo Young Environmentalist of the Year in 2021. He also currently serves as the deputy president of the Irish Second Level Students’ Union.

As UN Youth Delegate, Mohammad will work closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs, including Ireland’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Irish Aid, and the National Youth Council of Ireland throughout his year in office.

He will have the opportunity to engage with young people across Ireland about foreign policy issues and to represent the young people of Ireland at UN events, including this month at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) High Level Week and the UNGA’s Third Committee, which focuses on human rights issues.

Mohammad, who will join Alicia O’Sullivan as UN Youth Delegates 23/24, said: “It is an honour to be selected as Ireland’s newest UN Youth Delegate. I extremely grateful that I have been given this opportunity, being the youngest person to be ever selected and the first from Mayo.

“I am looking forward to representing Claremorris, Mayo and the whole island of Ireland starting in New York at the United Nations General Assembly.”

Tánaiste Micheál Martin commented: “The UN Youth Delegate Programme is an avenue for young people to become more involved in international cooperation while championing change and representing the voices of the millions of young people in Ireland. The programme offers a wonderful opportunity to build their networks, engage with other UN Youth Delegates, and advocate on matters that concern young people globally through UN meetings and events.

“It is essential that young people are equipped to be effective global citizens, contributing to policy and decision making at local, national and international levels. This is what we achieve through the programme.

“I look forward to engaging with Alicia and Mohammad in the future.”