Dubai: Top women YouTube stars have been appointed to fight for gender equality as part of a new partnership between YouTube and the UN, it was announced.
The new long-term partnership will see seven top YouTube women influencers, including a Syrian national based in Dubai, serve as the first Change Ambassadors to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Action Campaign. These women will be the voice of their generation at the UN, rallying their audiences to get behind important issues surrounding gender equality.
The group of millennial influencers have the responsibility to act as positive role models within their communities and rally audiences on YouTube by creating video content that raises awareness to eliminate discrimination against women and girls.
“YouTube has always been a platform where women of all ages and backgrounds can find their voice and tell their stories. Through this new partnership with the UN, we’ll strengthen female voices on YouTube and around the world,” said Susan Wojcicki, CEO, YouTube.
The first group of Change Ambassadors features prominent international female YouTube stars like Hayla Gazzal (UAE), Ingrid Nilsen (US), Jackie Aina (US), Yuya (Mexico), Taty Ferreira (Brazil), Louise Pentland (UK) and Chika Yoshida (Japan).
Dubai-based YouTuber from Syria, Hayla Gazzal, said it was wonderful to see organisations like the UN recognising that women on YouTube represent a powerful community of female role models from diverse communities around the world.
“I found my voice on YouTube through sharing my videos about lifestyle and entertainment and, over the years, I’ve built a family of fans that I can connect with on what’s happening in culture and the issues that are relevant to me as a woman,” she said.
Mitchell Toomey, director of UN SDG Action Campaign, said 193 countries stood up and made gender equality a priority when they signed the Sustainable Development Agenda last September.
“To help champion these goals, the UN SDG Action Campaign is excited to work with YouTube to bring together these seven female YouTube influencers as new Change Ambassadors. We hope to work with these millennial role models to turn influence into action that is both measurable and building capacity at the UN,” he said.
