Recognised by TIME 100 Next and Forbes 30 Under 30 as a global leader in international development, Jayathma Wickramanayake serves as Policy Advisor for Sport Partnerships at UN Women, focusing on leveraging sport as a tool for gender equality and women’s empowerment globally.

Previously, Jayathma made history as the youngest-ever UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, appointed at age 26. In that role, she championed youth engagement across the UN system, advocated for meaningful youth participation in decision-making and represented young people’s interests in global policy discussions.

Originally from Sri Lanka, she has played a pioneering role in shaping global youth development, with a particular focus on empowering girls and young women. Her work spans grassroots activism to high-level policy development, bringing lived experience of barriers facing girls and young women in the Global South to international platforms.