“We simply can no longer afford to deny the full potential of one half of the population. The world needs to tap into the talent and wisdom of women. Whether the issue is food security, economic recovery, health, or peace and security, the participation of women is needed now more than ever,” said Michelle Bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

These words opened the webinar “Promoting gender equality through human rights education - a conversation with Dejana Stostic,” organized and convened by Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Amnesty International and SGI on 9 March 2022. This was a second in the “Human Rights Education for, with and by youth: A conversation with young people around the world” series. Attended by around 60 participants, the conversation was moderated by two members of the SGI Youth Advisory Board. Opening remarks were given by the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Slovenia in Geneva, the event sponsor.

After the video screening of Dejana Stostic’s human rights education work and story, Stostic spoke on the theme of human rights education as it relates to gender equality. She shared some practical advice to young human rights educators saying, “We want to leave the world better than we got it. This means we have to fight no matter what, sometimes it is hard and you want to quit. When working with youth, the best way is being comfortable, being yourself and honest.” Her four tips for young human rights educators are: wear comfortable clothes, get enough sleep, always thirst for more knowledge and never give up!