AUSTRALIA’S YOUTH REPRESENTATIVE TO THE UNITED NATIONS
A UN Youth Australia Program
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“No decisions should be made about youth, without directly involving youth themselves.”
– Gavin Choong, 2024 Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations
About The Program
The Australian Youth Representative to the UN is the only role of its kind in Australia.
It is annually appointed by UN Youth Australia in partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Since 1999, the Youth Representative has been tasked with representing the views of young Australians both domestically and abroad.
As part of their mandate, the Youth Representative leads the largest annual face-to-face consultation of young people in the country during the first half of the year – the Listening Tour. Reaching every State and Territory, the Listening Tour allows the Representative to engage with a wide variety of youth opinions on issues at the local, national and international level.
Alongside the consultation, the Australian Youth Representative meets with prominent members of the Australian community including MPs, NGO heads, business leaders, young leaders and key players in the youth and education sectors.
JUST ANNOUNCED:
Meet Gavin Choong!
Australia’s 2024 Youth Representative to the United Nations
Gavin (he/him) is a youth and human rights advocate, with experience working in First Nations affairs, climate justice, refugee rights, and international development. He is passionate about amplifying minority voices, promoting awareness of the diverse challenges faced by marginalised communities, and supporting tangible initiatives which tackle these issues.
Gavin is currently in the final year of his Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Biomedical Science at Monash University.
As a multicultural advisor and ambassador, Gavin aims to work with diverse communities during his terms as the Youth Representative, as well as empower these young people to tell their stories.
Details about the 2024 Listening Tour are now up!
Consultations for this year’s Listening Tour, led by Gavin, are now being planned. Take a look at the opportunities to interact with Gavin available, and keep up to date as we add more engagement dates in the future.
If you are a young person looking to organise a consultation for your group, or an organisation looking to host a consultation, please fill out an Expression of Interest (EOI) through this form (click here).
Don’t miss out on anything this year!
We are getting the program set up for 2024, and would love to take you along on our journey.
By signing up to our mailing list, you are guaranteed to receive monthly updates from the Youth Representative themselves, as well as exclusive promotional videos and graphics that you can share to help further the reach of our program and involve more of your community.
2023 UPDATE:
Imogen’s Report is releasing very soon!
Imogen Kane, as the Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations for 2023, presented the diverse range of Australian youth perspectives at the United Nations General Assembly on September 30, 2023.
The Youth Representative Report for 2023 will expand on what Imogen shared at the General Assembly, by incorporating experiences shared across a year of consultations. It seeks to highlight the issues that youth in the country are concerned about with the depth that their thoughts require.
Upon the report’s release, the Youth Representative then begins their Report Back Tour, where they travel around Australia interacting with the Australian public, government officials, policymakers, Members of Parliament, and other organisations and deliver the report and its findings.
The Report Back Tour is an opportunity for the youth of Australia to join the Youth Representative at parliament at a federal and state level, and other events.
Imogen Kane will release her Youth Representative Report in early 2024, and will embark on her Report Back Tour in the months following the Report’s release. Imogen is expected to visit every state and territory during this tour.
Would you like Imogen to come discuss the Youth Representative Report at your event? Get in touch!
Stay in touch!
Need to contact Gavin, the Program or UN Youth Australia? Fill in a contact request form and our team will be back in touch with you!
Media Enquiries
For media enquiries, please contact us at communications@unyouth.org.au.
Contacting about a consultation
If you wish to organise a consultation, please refer to this page or contact us at listeningtour@unyouth.org.au.
General Enquiries
For general enquiries, please call the Chief Youth Representation Officer, Vasil Samardzhiev, at +61 468 848 469, or via email at cyro@unyouth.org.au.