We recently caught up with Ayoola Oshiyemi (Hood, 2023) who was selected to take part in the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) which took place from 11 – 22 March 2024. The annual event sees leaders in gender equality from all over the world come together and document the reality of women’s lives around the world. The theme of this year’s event was ‘accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.’  

Congratulations Ayoola, we are so proud of you! 

How did you become involved with UN Women UK?  
I became involved with UN Women UK and wanted to be a delegate because I was wholeheartedly passionate about their cause. Having the opportunity to be surrounded by other gender equality advocates would enable me to share and discuss ideas and to learn from others so I can progress my own work as a gender equality advocate further. I was also interested to see what goes on in an actual UN conference and how policies and decisions are made and how the policy briefs that we read about come to be. 

How did it all come about? Did you have to go through a selection process?  
Yes, I had to apply and go through a selection process talking about why I would want to be a part of this delegation, event, and this role as well as where my passion for gender equality comes from. 

When and where is the event? Are you attending in person?  
The event took place at the UN headquarters in New York; however, all UK delegates attended virtually through the UN Women UK Community platform where we tuned into all the events happening directly in the UN headquarters.  

Is this where you see your career heading after you graduate?  
I am not entirely sure what I want to do specifically in the future yet, but I know that I hope to pursue a career in the field of advocacy for important social and humanitarian issues including advocating for gender equality and the rights of girls and women. I know this experience will give me an opportunity to be a part of the conversation and I am excited to learn and grow through this experience as an advocate and be a part of creating social change. 

Thinking of this year’s theme, what changes would you like to see happen to empower more women? 
I want to see real and tangible commitments to investing in girls and women across the globe, not just spoken and written agreements but something that is going to be transformed into real action that is going to have real impact on girls and women. 

Ayoola is currently studying International Relations at the London School of Economics - we are sure we will hear more from her in the future!