Kithmina Hewage did his country proud when he was chosen as one of the three Human Rights Champions at the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA)’s UNA Youth Human Rights Training held from June 17- 20 in Geneva.
To put things into perspective, he was one of the 30 young people from around the world selected to take part in the programme-prestigious in itself; but then he was also awarded the coveted accolade of Human Rights Champion following his performance at the training.

For Kithmina, this is just one of many achievements. A former student of Ananda College and Colombo International School, he’s now a student at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) in the United States, where he is studying for a double major in International Studies and Economics with a minor in Anthropology.

The opportunity to take part in the Human Rights Training came to him through the UNA-Sri Lanka Branch (UNA-SL). “I heard about it right after I came home for summer vacation, so I applied because it sounded like a great opportunity,” he remembers. Almost 150 UNA’s from around the world offer applicants for the programme. Kithmina was the first Sri Lankan to be chosen to take part.

Having done Model UN (MUN) for as long as he can remember, Kithmina is no stranger to the world of diplomacy. Of the many highlights in his MUN career, perhaps the one that stands out is his stint as Secretary General for Sri Lanka Model United Nations 2010, at the time Asia’s largest student-run MUN. He indulges in his passion for diplomacy and debate at university as the Under-Secretary General of General Assemblies at JHU Model UN.

“Having done MUN and debating for so long, human rights is an area of discussion I’ve always been involved in,” he explains. “I interned for the National Peace Council in 2009 and handled a lot of human rights topics there; especially with regards to post conflict management. That kind of gave me the background I needed to go to Geneva.”

While not an official government representative, he did feel a certain responsibility on behalf of his country in Geneva, and made sure to do his research on human rights especially in the Sri Lankan context. “And I was right. Sri Lanka was quite an important topic of discussion and it was good to go in prepared. At the training I even had a debate with one of the speakers about our post-conflict situation.”

The training itself helped him understand how human rights were implemented in the UN, says Kithmina. It’s a message he intends to carry on-the training programme requires participants to implement their own project in their communities. Kithmina hopes to take the message of human rights into local schools, and has already made a head start. He also hopes to promote UNA-SL to more young people. “I got this opportunity through them, and they were very supportive of me. I want more young people to have the opportunities I did.”

As for being chosen a human rights champion, he remains modest. Two other Italians were named champions alongside him for their excellent performance at the training in Geneva. The best thing about all this? “Getting to spend so much time in the actual UN offices in Geneva, of course!” he grins. A diplomat in the making perhaps, this one.

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