Presidential summit

A St Andrews’ graduate has been given the opportunity to address the UN at a prestigious event in New York.

Chloe Hill (23), recently took part in the UN Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW), as a delegate for the National Council of Women. Chloe took part in the summit after winning an essay competition about the role of women in the modern world.

Chloe, who is currently President of the Students’ Association at St Andrews, said,

“I wrote a paper in July called #speakout, giving girls and young women a voice. The question was ‘if you had the ear of government what one policy would you ask them to carry out to improve the lives of girls and women?’

“I wrote about my belief that education is the most important human right, and that we have to focus not only on the education of girls, but on what we are educating them – I looked at my own education from age 15 onwards and discussed the utter lack of women role models in that education in which reading lists were heavily male dominant.”

In her winning essay, Chloe noted that, while in her 3^rd year at St Andrews, her social philosophy reading list only featured one female writer. She continued, “How can we expect women to take up positions of authority in society when we don’t teach them how possible it is for them to do so?”

Chloe spent a week at the annual UN Commission, attended the official opening ceremony, at which Ban Ki Moon spoke of the importance of gender equality, and met with the British Ambassador to the UN. In addition to attending workshops and lobbying events in and around the UN, Chloe attended a talk about the girls education initiative run by UNICEF. She also attended a workshop by Scottish Women’s Aid which addressed methods for the prevention of violence against women.

Although the honour was not related to Chloe’s elected position at St Andrews, her win in 2013 came with the added distinction of her being the first female student leader at St Andrews in over ten years.

Chloe, who graduated with an MA (Honours) in Geography and Philosophy in 2013, is due to end her year-long term as a sabbatical officer in the summer.

ENDS

Issued by the Press Office, University of St Andrews

Contact Gayle Cook, Senior Communications Manager on 01334 46 7227 or email [email protected]

Ref: Presidential summit 210314