By: Simona Opitz
Somalilandsun – IOM Somalia staff member, 27 year old Hussein Hassan who is a Senior National Health Programme Officer, based in Garowe, Puntland State of Somalia, was recognized for his outstanding work with young people in Somalia, by a delegation of 500 youths, who converged on the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 1 February 2013 for the annual UN Youth Assembly.
He was awarded the Resolution Fellowship Award, which is given to outstanding youth with exceptional leadership capacities, who have demonstrated that they are poised to change the world. Being the only Somali national represented at the meeting, which attracted a cross-section of ambassadors and high level representatives, he was provided an opportunity to speak on Somalia’s efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as well as IOM’s achievements in the country focusing on its youth community development projects which include IOM’s Global Fund to Fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Prevention Project for at-risk youth. As part of his award, Hussein was invited to participate in an East African Youth Forum in Rwanda, as well as a Youth Summit in Costa Rica, both which will be held later this year.
Ms Simona Opitz is the IOM Public Information Officer based in Nairobi
