Youth activist Satta Sheriff has been selected to join a network of peace ambassadors by One Young World and the European Commission. The initiative was developed to accelerate the efforts of young leaders in preventing and countering global violent extremism, building peace, and promoting conflict resolution.
One Young World is a U.K.-based nonprofit that connects the world’s most impactful young leaders. According to the organization, its annual summit brings together 1,800 of the most talented young leaders from across 196 countries to tackle the world’s most pressing issues, from climate change to conflict resolution.
Sheriff is the founder of Youth in Action for Peace and Empowerment, an NGO dedicated to defending and promoting the rights of Liberian children and vulnerable groups. The organization has been campaigning for changes to existing rape laws.
Sheriff is also the immediate past speaker of the Liberian Children’s Representative Forum, formerly the Children’s Parliament. She has won numerous awards for her work in defending children’s rights and ensuring safe spaces for Liberian girls.
According to a press release issued about Sheriff’s selection, she was drawn from a search for the world’s most impactful young peacebuilders. In the two years since it was launched, the initiative has identified 120 such young leaders from 97 countries.
Sheriff has already participated in the annual One Young World Summit, which took place between October 17 and 20, 2018 in The Hague, Netherlands. The global forum for young leaders brought together 1,800 delegates and participants also included Mo Ibrahim, Thuli Madonsela, Caroline Mutoko, and Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus.
In March this year, Sheriff will also represent Liberia in Kigali, Rwanda during a meeting with hundreds of other peace ambassadors.
She told The Bush Chicken in an interview that becoming a global peace ambassador further challenges her to advocate more for the rights of children. This time, she says she has an international stage and a network of other youth activists, as well as current and former world leaders.
“It does not mean that I have reached the peak of advocacy. I think it’s just to complement the work that we do and to challenge me to continue do what I do for children’s rights in Liberia,†she said.
Featured photo courtesy of U.N. Women
