On 25 November, the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth met with Arab Idol winner Mohamad Assaf, who is on a visit to New York after having being appointed the first-ever regional youth ambassador by UNRWA.

 

During their meeting Alhendawi and Assaf discussed the particular struggle of young people living in conflict zones, like Assaf himself who is a former refugee from Gaza, Palestine.
Both highlighted the important mismatch between job opportunities and skills of young graduates, and noted that hope and determination in a context of conflict is often the only choice.
As part of his visit to the United Nations headquarters, Assaf met with the Secretary-General and spoke at various events including during the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. In addition, he also met with Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, the Under-Secretary-General for Public Information, Maher Nasser, Director of the Outreach Division of the UN’s Department of Public Information, as well as many other UN officials.