On 3 May 2025, Global Human Rights Defence’s youth initiative — the New Generation Uniting Nations (NGUN) Project — hosted its first-ever in-person youth conference at The Nutshuis in The Hague. This full-day event brought together young changemakers from diverse backgrounds for meaningful dialogue, community learning, and youth empowerment.
The conference featured a dynamic mix of morning panel discussions and afternoon workshops focused on some of today’s most pressing global issues. Participants explored themes such as:
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Youth activism in repressive contexts and the importance of transnational solidarity
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Engagement with international institutions and global governance
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The future of digital democracy
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Climate change, democratic challenges, and gender inequality
Our inspiring keynote speakers included:
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Willemijn Krans (Advocacy Officer, European Liberal Youth – LYMEC)
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Kevin Eustatia-Palm (Executive Director of The Palman Group; former UN Youth Representative)
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Andy Vermaut (Journalist and EU Climate Pact Ambassador)
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Fenna Timsi (UN Youth Representative on Human Rights & Security)
Moderation was provided by Maria Ciechan, Jacopo Lai and Sophie Utfeld from the NGUN Team. The panel discussion was livestreamed by GHRTV, and updates were shared throughout the day by Georgia Lapioti on NGUN’s Instagram (@ngun_youth).
What truly defined the event was the passion, lived experience, and insight of the participants themselves. Their engagement sparked rich dialogue, new perspectives, and valuable community connections.
This event marks only the beginning of NGUN’s mission to strengthen youth leadership in the human rights space. More events and initiatives are on the way — stay tuned.
