Africa's greatest assets are its young people - Interview: Ahmad Alhendawi, UN youth envoy

Ahmad Alhendawi was appointed in January as the UN Secretary-General’s envoy on youth who will be the voice of young people all over the world. In his Five-Year Agenda, the Secretary-General recognized “working with and for women and young people” as one of his priorities. At 29, Mr. Alhendawi already has a rich background as a youth advocate and activist. Before joining the UN he served as a youth policy advisor for the World Bank–funded programme on institutional development in the Arab League, with headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. He had also been a team leader for a youth project in Iraq and worked with the UN Population Fund and many other organizations and governments on youth issues. In this interview with Africa Renewal’s Kingsley Ighobor on Mr. Alhendawi’s second day in office, the youth envoy talks about his new role, his hopes for young people in Africa and the rest of the world, and his hobbies.