Egyptian sprinter Bassant Hemeida has been appointed by the United Nations as an ambassador for Shabab Balad (A Country’s Youth) initiative, the Egyptian version of the UN’s Generation Unlimited (GenU) global initiative, a UN statement has said.
The ceremony was held in presence of Jeremy Hopkins, UNICEF Representative in Egypt; Frederika Meijer, UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative in Egypt; and Ghada Makady, Director-General of Shabab Balad Project at UNICEF, and Programme Officers at the organisation.
Shabab Balad initiative is the Egyptian version of UNICEF’s GenU global initiative, which was launched during the World Youth Forum held in Sharm al-Sheikh last January under sponsorship of the President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.
Within her new role, Ms Hemeida is to support the work of Shabab Balad and shed light on the importance of educating and training youth, providing them with skills, affording them employment opportunities, and implanting the concept of entrepreneurship among them.
Sprinter Bassant Hemeida was among the singular Egyptian winners in Oran’s Mediterranean Games 2022 last July. She won the gold in both the 100 metres and the 200 metres competitions, breaking the Games’ previous records for both. She was among the competitors coming from the Military Sports Foundation and was given a hero’s welcome by the Armed Forces at Cairo Airport upon her return to Egypt.
Mr Hopkins said, “We are happy to have the Egyptian champion Bassant Hameida in the “Shabab Balad” initiative, wishing to have more influencers and intellectuals with us to convey the initiative’s message.”
For her part, Ms Hemeida said, “It is a great honour to have a role in a global initiative for Egypt’s youth, considered a priority by their country. Shabab Balad helps them develop their skills and achieve their ambitions. So happy to contribute in delivering that message, and encouraging young people to make full use of the opportunity given to them.”
Watani International
23 August 2022