Ellie Hutterli is 21 years old. She is currently studying international relations at the University of St. Gallen. She was the co-founder of the Thurgau Youth Parliament of which she has been a board member right from the start. She now also holds the office of co-president. She’s also involved in the forum that deals with the federal youth session.

Her early involvement in politics made her aware that young people must be encouraged to use their voice. But they also need to feel they are being listened to. Young people don’t simply need a platform, they must also be given a voice. To ensure sustainable decision-making, young people must be given a seat at the table in discussions about the future. She is delighted to be able to help achieve these goals in her role as Youth Rep.

Arlinda Ramqaj is 23 years old. She grew up in the Vallée de Joux in canton Vaud where walks along the lake, trips to the ‘Dent de Vaulion’ and discussions about watchmaking were part of her everyday life for a long time. After leaving school, she decided to do her baccalaureate in Yverdon-les-Bains majoring in philosophy and psychology. After discovering her passion for psychology and English literature here, she began a degree at the University of Lausanne where she studied these subjects on a bachelor’s and then a master’s degree programme. In 2021, she had the opportunity to spend a term at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland where she gained a good insight into highly diverse Irish literature and broadened her knowledge through post-colonial studies. Fascinated by the influence of literature on culture, social movements and identity issues, she wrote her thesis on how migration is dealt with in literature. She sees this role – as well as her previous involvement in organisations that champion diversity, equality and sustainable development – as opportunities for raising public awareness about the challenges of our age. Being a Youth Rep not only allows her to represent young Swiss people at the United Nations, but to also share and gain further knowledge about the role played by the United Nations, its measures to defend human rights and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). All of this contributes to promoting one of the values most precious to her – education.

Max Haizmann is 23 years old. He grew up in Bern, attended a French-speaking school and is now studying law at the University of Lausanne. During his free time, he enjoys making all kinds of little videos, plays sport and keep a critical (but constructive) eye on the latest political developments. He’s extremely inquisitive and always willing to take feedback and suggestions on board. He is committed to issues that inspire him where he can help progress to be made, such as open science, culture and democracy.

Quentin Knight ist 26 Jahre alt und kommt aus Genf. Nachdem er 2021 einen Bachelor in internationalen Beziehungen abgeschlossen hat, studiert er derzeit an der Universität Genf im Master Umweltwissenschaften mit dem Schwerpunkt Klimafolgen. Seit seinem 19. Lebensjahr setzt er sich auf lokaler, nationaler und internationaler Ebene für den Klima- und Umweltschutz ein. Er war in Vereinen und NGOs wie dem WWF und Greenpeace aktiv. Auf politischer Ebene war er Stadtrat in seiner Gemeinde und stark in die Klimastreiks der Studierenden involviert. Dabei kam ihm unter anderem eine wichtige Rolle bei der Ausrufung des Klimanotstands in Genf. Damit trug er dazu bei, die Klimaschutzambitionen des Kantons zu erhöhen. Neben seinem Studium arbeitet er derzeit für das Klima-Bündnis Schweiz. Er setzt sich stark für die Ziele der Vereinten Nationen für nachhaltige Entwicklung ein, ist jedoch weiterhin davon überzeugt, dass eine der grössten Herausforderungen des 21. Jahrhunderts darin besteht, die menschliche Entwicklung im Rahmen der Möglichkeiten des Planeten zu erhalten.

• Naji Osman
• Yasemin Amorim-Esenli
• Omar Ahmed