Maryam Bukar Hassan, a poet from Nigeria,
was officially designated as the United Nations' Global Advocate for
Peace, according to a statement issued Friday by the Office of the
Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General. As a renowned spoken
word artist, poet and peace advocate, she uses the power of poetry and
performance to champion gender equality, youth empowerment and inclusive
peacebuilding, the statement said. Her work has been showcased
on prestigious platforms, including the UN SDG awards, TED Talks and
the World Bank Youth Summit. She has collaborated with the United
Nations on initiatives such as the "Peace Begins With Me" poetry video
for the International Day of Peace and delivered a spoken word
performance at last year's Summit of the Future. Her dedication
has earned her accolades such as the Sustainable Africa Award at COP28
and finalist recognition for the 2024 UN SDG Creativity Award, the
statement said. UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations
Jean-Pierre Lacroix highlighted the significance of her designation. Lacroix said that "the dedication of the Global Advocate's time and energy to
this effort will greatly increase awareness of the peace and security
priorities of the United Nations, particularly the vital role of women
and youth in advancing inclusive and sustainable peace.
