Nadine Khawli recently joined the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in New York as a Youth Engagement Coordinator for the Generation 17 initiative and pens this blog. She credits her experience as a UN Volunteer in Lebanon for giving her leadership opportunities which prepared her for this role. Nadine was recognized as an ‘Outstanding Youth Delegate’ at the 2022 AFS Intercultural Programmes Youth Assembly in New York – the first Lebanese youth to receive this honor. That same year, she was esteemed as one of ten Outstanding Young People in Lebanon by Junior Chamber International (JCI) and the United Nations Information Center (UNIC) in Beirut.
Engaging with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme has been rewarding. UNV has helped me develop my confidence, leadership and communication skills, make new friends and become a Global Goals Advocate. On my path to UNV, I was involved in community service throughout my years in school and participated in the Youth Leadership Programme (YLP) launched by UNDP.