“[...] don't wait for advice. Don't wait for invitations. Just look around, you will find ways to contribute to change in your own family, in your own community, in your college, in your university and in your country.”
Appointed to a senior UN role aged just 26, Jayathma Wickramanayake’s career trajectory testifies to the power of education. Now senior policy advisor at UN Women, she is working to empower all women and girls to fulfill their potential – whatever their background.
In this episode, Jayathma reflects on the global hunger for learning, her beginnings in conflict-ridden Sri-Lanka, and her hopes for her own baby son.
"I wish that all the children and young people - you know, protesting on the streets, asking for climate justice, being arrested, being detained - I wish that they could just be children [... I wish for a world where my son ] can be light and free and not be bombarded with responsibilities of issues that he didn't have a hand in creating."
Photo: ©UNFPA/Sarah Kenyi