Until December 2021, Emilio was a Program Officer for Gender Equality and Youth at ParlAmericas, the institution that promotes parliamentary diplomacy with the 35 national legislatures of the Americas and the Caribbean. There, he supported the implementation of projects to increase youth political participation and promoted good practices around gender-responsive legislation. In addition, Emilio’s work focused on the planning and delivery of youth political leadership programmes.
A notable example is Impacto Legislativo Joven, a 4-month programme organised with the National Assembly and the National Forum of Women in Political Parties of Panama, that trained 25 young Panamanians in intersectional, gender-responsive and environmentally sustainable political leadership. Learning and working alongside experts from parliaments, civil society organisations, and international organisations, participants explored what it meant to pursue positive change through civic engagement. They collectively worked on a citizen’s bill – a democratic mechanism that allows Panamanians to submit legislative proposals to their National Assembly – to promote and regulate ecotourism in the country. The citizen’s bill was presented to Panama’s National Assembly on September 15, 2021, on the International Day of Democracy, and incorporates provisions for the inclusion of women, local communities, and indigenous peoples in the development of ecotourism.
The focus on promoting youth leadership is something that Emilio took from the Summit, which he attended as a Peace Ambassador in 2019, and that he has sought to incorporate in all his roles thereafter. In a new position at Citizens for Public Justice, Emilio is building a rights-based political advocacy programme focused on refugee and migrant justice in Canada. This includes producing a book that presents the voices of leading advocates in this field – similar to "We Have a Dream”, which Emilio contributed to and was published by fellow Ambassadors. Emilio recently joined the Board of Directors of the Canadian International Council – National Capital Branch, a leading forum for Canadian professionals in international affairs.
“One Young World opened up networks and allowed me to connect with new partners. It allows me to make sure my work is connected to the larger eco-system, as it taught me there are already people doing work around it.”
