Whitaker selected to attend 2nd IDPAD Regional Meeting at United Nations
Genevieve Whitaker, a 2016 Fellow for the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights International Decade of People of African Descent (IDPAD), has been selected to serve as a Delegate for the 2nd IDPAD Regional Meeting for Europe, Central Asia and North America to be held from November 23rd to 24th, 2017 in Geneva, Switzerland, representing her organization, an accredited Non-Governmental Organization (NGO)/Civil Society Organization (CSO), Virgin Islands Youth Advocacy Coalition, Inc. (VIYAC). Genevieve will be joined by 55 other CSO leaders from around the world who are dedicated to the cause of addressing the issues (racism, prejudice, and racial discrimination) faced by people of African Descent. Genevieve serves as the Co-Founder and President of the VIYAC, an organization formed in 2009 to address the level of civic engagement of persons ages 14-30. VIYAC’s current works centers on advocacy efforts as it pertains to Virgin Islanders’ right self-determination in the context of the decolonization of the Virgin Islands of the United States.
Genevieve recently returned home after participating in the inaugural President Obama Foundation Summit held in Chicago, Illinois, her application to the Summit centered on her individual and collective work in raising the level of consciousness of Virgin Islanders’ exercise of our human right to selfdetermination. For more details regarding the actual event check out the IDPAD page via this link: bit.ly/IDPAD2017Meeting. By way of background, Genevieve who holds a Juris Doctor degree with coursework in International Human Rights Law has been involved with human rights from an early age. Additionally, Genevieve also obtained certificates in human rights and humanitarian law during her legal studies receiving certificates in International Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law from the University of Oxford/George Washington University School of Law and Santa Clara University Law School, respectively. Genevieve is a former lobbyist for Amnesty International USA, serving in the capacity as the Legislative Coordinator for the State of Florida. Genevieve’s work within the framework of the objective and goals of the International Decade for People of African Descent. In terms of her support for the United Nations, Genevieve formerly served as a Board Member for the United Nations Association of the USA, Tampa Bay Chapter, where she also serving as the Founding Chair for Young Professionals for International Cooperation. Genevieve is also a former Board Member of the DCbased non-profit, Partners for Freedom & Democracy, an organization for which she organized a human rights based Youth Leadership Development Summit that took place in Abuja, Nigeria in 2008. Genevieve human rights work also includes service on the Board of the Caribbean Institute for a New Humanity which housed the Virgin Islands Reparations Movement (the African-Caribbean Reparations and Resettlement Alliance— ACRRA). Genevieve received her law degree from Stetson University College of Law, serving as a Public Service Fellow and received the Public Service Recognition Award from Stetson’s Advocacy Board for her exemplary service locally and worldwide and was recognized as an outstanding graduate. She was instrumental in the establishment of the Stetson’s Amnesty International Student chapter. Genevieve obtained Executive Education certificates, having received an Executive Education Program Certificate as a 2014 participant of Harvard University Kennedy School of Government’s “Women and Power: Leadership in a New World” program. In 2013, Genevieve served as a participant in the first cohort of Oxford University Said School of Business’ “Women Transforming Leadership” program for which she received an Executive Education certificate. Genevieve received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and World Affairs from The University of Tampa with Honors Program Distinction. Genevieve serves as the Deputy Supervisor (St. Croix) for the Elections System of the Virgin Islands and also serves in the capacity as the local elections (Virgin Islands) official member for the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) Standards Board and was reelected in 2016 to the Standards Board Executive Committee. Genevieve served as an International Election Observer with the Organization of American States for the 2016 Jamaican Parliamentary election. In sum, Genevieve in serving as a Delegate endeavors to promote the important work of decolonization by obtaining support among the key allies dedicated the cause for human right to self- determination (political, economic, social and cultural rights) in the spirit of the International Decade’s pillars of Recognition (equality, non-discrimination; education on equality; information-gathering), Justice (access; special measures) and Development (measures against poverty). ###
