Jayathma among ‘TIME’s 100 Next’

• The youngest person on this list, for example, is 14-year-old figure-skating phenom Alysa Liu

Jayathma Wickramanayake, the UN Youth Envoy, has been named as one of the rising stars in the TIME magazine’s 100 Next list among many other influencers including Awkwafina, Camila Cabello, Lily Singh and Carlos Alvarado Quesada, the President of Costa Rica.    

The magazine said the new list ‘TIME 100 Next’ is a part of an ongoing expansion of its flagship TIME 100 franchise and the new list spotlights 100 rising stars who are shaping the future of business, entertainment, sports, politics, science, health and other sectors.   

“Although this focus lends itself to a younger group, we intentionally had no age cap—a recognition that ascents, can begin at any age. The youngest person on this list, for example, is 14-year-old figure-skating phenom Alysa Liu, who recently became the first US woman to land a quadruple Lutz in competition. The oldest is Ayman Odeh, a politician who, at 44, has emerged as a potential kingmaker in Israeli politics,” it said.  Jasmine Aguilera has written a colourful profile for Jayathma and it says, “Within the senior echelons of the world’s largest intergovernmental organization, Jayathma Wickramanayake represents the youth. Last year, Wickramanayake, who was appointed the United Nations’ Envoy on Youth in 2017, and the UN announced Youth 2030, a strategy to involve young people in UN initiatives and strengthen the organization’s focus on their needs, including sustainable development and economic empowerment.” 

 
Jayathma was quoted in the profile saying “We need to make sure that the United Nations works, not just for young people, but with young people in partnership.”