Yane Maia is the first youth delegate supported by UNFPA in Timor-Leste to attend the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)held between 10 and 21 March 2014 in New York.
Together with other delegates from Combodia and Fiji (supported by UN Women), they was representing young South East Asian women at the UN´s foremost annual international-level dialogue and policy development event devoted exclusively to gender equality. "It is an opportunity for young women to speak up what they think," says Yane Maia.
Besides being an opportunity to represent an increasingly important and dynamic group of young Timorese women, equally important for the youth delegation is the participation at the Commission as an unprecendented learning opportunity.
The attendance at the CSW will accelerate the capacity of Yane and her fellow delegates to participate in democratic processes on a local, national and global level. Most importantly, while maintaining a strong relationship with UNFPA and applying her newly-acquired skills and knowledge, the delegates will play a broader and longer role in effort to promote gender equality.
The CSW gathers together representatives of UN Member States, intergovernmental agencies and civil society organisations to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and the advancement of women worldwide.
The attendance of Yane and the other young women this year is particularly significant in light of the CSW´s annual theme "challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for women and girls". As such Yane´s active involvement in this global event will be an opportunity for her to exercise her voice on issues directly affecting women and girls in Timor-Leste.
The meaningful participation of young women in democratic processes has been recognised as critical to the achievement of gender equality. As such, the role of Yane and the youth delegation will extend beyond attendance at the CSW as the young women are expected to play an important role in further promoting gender equality in their home countries.
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Photo Story about Yane Elfrida Maia, Timor-Leste's Youth Delegate to CSW
