United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed 27-year-old Jayathma Wickramanayake of Sri Lanka as his Envoy on Youth. She played a key role in transforming the youth development sector at the national level in Sri lanka. “Ms. Wickramanayake is also credited with having established the ‘Hashtag Generation,’ a large civic and political engagement movement of young people. She has also represented and motivated global youth development at the international level since the age of 21, including at the UN, such as in the declaration of World Youth Skills Day,” a UN statement said.
Ms. Wickramanayake previously served as Secretary to the Secretary General of the Parliament of Sri Lanka (2016-2017) as well as a Senator at the Sri Lankan Youth Parliament (2013-2015). She is currently working as an officer of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service. She will succeed Ahmad Alhendawi of Jordan.
