Amr Ramadan at the UNESCO Youth Forum: Youth advocacy in a defining moment for Romania

After 14 years of absence, Romania has been elected once again to the UNESCO Executive Board. The news marks more than a diplomatic achievement. It places Romania back in one of UNESCO’s key decision-making bodies, where priorities are negotiated, budgets are shaped, and global agendas in education, culture, science, and communication are decided.

The Executive Board is where member states influence which issues receive political attention and financial backing, how programs are evaluated, and whose voices are amplified in global debates. For Romania, this seat opens a window of opportunity to act as an agenda-setter rather than a passive observer. It also comes with responsibility: to represent not only national interests, but to act as a bridge for region s and communities that are often underrepresented.

Just days before this decision, at the opening session of the 14th UNESCO Youth Forum in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, a young voice captured precisely what is at stake when institutions and lived realities meet. That voice belonged to Amr Ramadan.

Amr Ramadan is a climate justice advocate, youth leader and the Chief Executive Officer at Empower Hub. His work covers grassroots initiatives, and global youth networks. While his LinkedIn profile highlights fellowships, advisory roles, and high-level participation, the roots of his leadership are far less visible.

“There are three quiet experiences that shaped me long before any stage or camera did,” he shared during our interview. He spoke about growing up watching his parents struggle financially while maintaining dignity, an experience that taught him early that poverty is structural, not personal. He recalled applying to over 40 programs as a teenager and being rejected from almost all of them, learning resilience without applause. And he described years spent informally translating opportunities for young people who did not speak English well, long before any institution recognized his work.

“That taught me that impact doesn’t start when institutions recognize you. It starts when you decide that access should never depend on privilege,” Amr said.

At the UNESCO Youth Forum in Samarkand, Amr addressed an audience of ministers, diplomats, and youth delegates at the opening session:

“I remember thinking: either I speak safely and be forgotten, or I speak truthfully and risk discomfort. I chose truth,” he recalled.

He spoke about climate injustice not as an abstract concept, but as something lived daily, in classrooms, water shortages, migration decisions, and family trade-offs. What struck him most was not the applause, but the silence afterward.

“That silence told me the message landed. Institutions don’t only need policies, they also need uncomfortable honesty,” he said.

When youth dialogue becomes power

Amr questions the idea that youth participation automatically leads to change. In his experience, dialogue without structure and follow-up remains symbolic.

“Youth who show up once are heard politely. Youth who show up repeatedly, with evidence, alliances, and data-backed proposals, become difficult to ignore,” he explained.

One of the biggest gaps, he says, is translation. Youth often speak in moral urgency, while policymakers work through legal, financial, and procedural language.

“Impact happens when young advocates translate urgency into implementable policy pathways, timelines, budgets, and accountability tools,” Amr noted.

Romania’s return to UNESCO’s Executive Board

Reflecting on Romania’s return to UNESCO’s Executive Board, Amr stressed that representation alone is not enough.

“Romania’s election brings visibility, but visibility alone is not leadership,” he said. He believes the real responsibility now is to rebalance whose voices are heard. With its position between Eastern Europe, the Global North, and the Global South, Romania has the chance to act as a bridge, not just a beneficiary of representation.

This role, Amr added, must translate into concrete action: advocating for youth from overlooked regions, supporting fair access to education and climate funding, and challenging entrenched power hierarchies.

Does having a seat at the table means inclusion?

For Amr, meaningful inclusion goes far beyond being invited to speak.

“Inclusion is not a chair at the table. It influences the menu,” he said.

Real inclusion means youth help define priorities, access information before decisions are finalized, and see their recommendations reflected in final policies. It also means accountability when youth input is ignored:“True inclusion is uncomfortable for power. It redistributes control, not just visibility,” Amr emphasized.

“I realized that advocacy is not always about being the loudest voice in the room, but it’s about being a bridge between those living the crisis directly and the institutions that move slowly. I stopped seeing myself only as a speaker and started seeing myself as a translator between lived reality and policy architecture.”

But at the end of the day, what is the emotional cost of youth advocacy?

Amr says this topic should be discussed more: burnout, survivor’s guilt, and the pressure of representing entire communities often remain invisible.

“If we don’t protect the well-being of young change-makers, the movement itself becomes fragile,” he mentioned.

Climate justice, he believes, cannot be built on exhausted shoulders.