An inspiring trip to Geneva for our Edmund Rice Youth Ambassadors

31 Jan 2024

Upper Sixth students Niall and Naomi had an exciting trip to Geneva in January. Visiting as Edmund Rice Youth Ambassadors they attended UPR sessions to explore how the Human Rights Council works and visited fellow Edmund Rice brothers. It was a great experience for our students to learn about how the Edmund Rice network can participate in the defence of human rights.

‘I thoroughly enjoyed watching the UPR sessions of China and Senegal in the United Nations. It was a privilege to have the opportunity to witness first hand the international cooperation and discussions taking place to promote Human Rights. I found it very interesting to see the differing views of UN member states when reviewing the human rights records of other Member States. I’m glad to have had the chance to speak with Brother Bond at the Edmund Rice offices about how a UPR session, treaty bodies and special rapporteurs work and the involvement of NGOs in such processes. It was a pleasure to be able to meet and spend time with other Edmund Rice Youth Ambassadors from across England and discuss how we will implement what we’ve learnt in our own schools. I’m very grateful to have had this opportunity!’

– Naomi J

‘Discovering how NGOs like Edmund Rice interact with global states interested me deeply and opened my eyes to how much impact can be made by youth ambassadors like ourselves. On that note, we shared ideas and areas of discussion and advocacy with like-minded people of our age, and I’m sure Naomi and I have made friends for life. To be surrounded by diplomats and representatives from large states like China and Senegal was a privilege, and I listened avidly to their policies and the way they put them across during their periodic reviews. We were very grateful for the opportunity; it was an experience I won’t forget.’

– Niall M