Recife, Brazil, 06 July 2023 - The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Brazil and the Government of Pernambuco, through the Secretariat for Social Development, Children, Youth, Violence and Drug Prevention (SDSCJPVD), announced the opening of the call for participation in the Youth Ambassadors Programme this Thursday (6 July).

The objective of the Youth Ambassadors is to strengthen leadership and activist capacities among young people, with a focus on the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The work is developed through capacity-building activities, leadership exercises, development of personal and interpersonal skills, and stimulation of inclusive and productive debate.

"We believe in the potential of Pernambuco's youth, and we know what they are capable of if they have the right incentives. We are doing our part to bring about a deep social change in our state and this includes attention to the youngest. Having the partnership of the United Nations strengthens our actions even more", said Carolina Cabral, State Secretary for Social Development, Children, Youth and Prevention of Violence and Drugs.

"The Youth Ambassadors initiative was created to put young people in the center of the 2030 Agenda. Implementing this edition in Pernambuco represents a great opportunity to connect the reality of Pernambuco youth with the global perspective of the Sustainable Development Goals, in a perspective that values diversity and the search for collective answers to current problems, leaving no one behind," highlights Nivio Nascimento, coordinator of the Rule of Law Unit of UNODC Brazil.

The initiative, which will select 25 young people between 18 and 25 years old, is the result of a partnership trough the Pernambuco Crime and Violence Prevention Programme, which involves, in addition to the Government of Pernambuco and UNODC, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), and Igarapé Institute.

The Executive Secretary of Articulation and Social Prevention of Crime and Violence, Mariana Rodrigues, pointed out the importance of the programme to bring Pernambuco youth closer to concepts and practices related to themes such as peace and justice, gender equality, poverty eradication, entrepreneurship, environment, health, and well-being. "In addition to being part of the Network of Youth Ambassadors, being able to act as spokespersons in national and international spaces, young people will be hired by the State government as the main interlocutors of violence prevention policies, promoting social change in our territories together," she states.

Learn more about the Youth Ambassadors Programme, here.