Ethiopian Semaria (21) goes to the UN: “I want to make a difference in the world”
Speaking as She Leads advocate before the United Nations. That dream is coming true for 21-year-old Semaria from Ethiopia. From March 11 to 28, she will participate in the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York. This committee is the main UN body for promoting gender equality and women's empowerment globally.
Semaria is a young activist who is committed to gender equality and inclusion. She grew up in a progressive family where she and her brother were treated equally. Equal opportunities and treatment are not self-evident in Ethiopia.
At school, Semaria was confronted with the harsh reality of deep-rooted inequality in her country. This motivated her to work on youth participation, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and inclusive education.
Advocating for girls and young women
Exactly these topics will be highlighted by Semaria at the Commission on the Status of Women. Together with the She Leads team, she has prepared thoroughly so that she can actively contribute to the discussion and make recommendations on how to tackle crucial gender-related issues.
In New York, her advocacy priorities include advocating for access to essential services for girls and young women, promoting the political participation of marginalised groups, addressing environmental and climate change issues affecting women and girls, and advocating for sustainable infrastructure sensitive to the needs of women and girls.
Semaria is adamant about her participation: “We expect to be listened to and taken seriously, not just heard. We want to be able to make an impact and we expect them (the Member States) to actually take into account what we have said and put it in policy and practice. I count on my representation to be meaningful.”
Access to decision making
Semaria is part of Ethiopia Young Women Voice, a network of girls and young women who are active within the She Leads program. With Ethiopia Young Women Voice they create a platform where they can make their voices heard.
“I love that as a young woman I can be part of the places where decisions are made.”
Her advocacy efforts have already brought her to local, national and even international platforms, where she contributed, among other things, to the revision of youth policy in Ethiopia. “I like that I can be a young person in decision spaces within the community, and I can make an impact in such an assertive manner.”
About She Leads
In the She Leads programme, four organisations, including Terre des Hommes, join forces to involve girls and young women more in decision-making and policy on equal rights for men and women. The programme works in nine countries in the Middle East and Africa, and at regional and global levels.