United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced on 27 October 2023 the appointment of Felipe Paullier of Uruguay as the first Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs. The United Nations Youth Office was established by the General Assembly to lead the engagement and advocacy for the advancement of youth issues across the United Nations and to promote the meaningful, inclusive and effective engagement of youth, youth-led and youth-focused organizations in the work of the United Nations.

The Secretary-General wishes to extend his appreciation to Jayathma Wickramanayake of Sri Lanka, who has served as the Envoy on Youth since June 2017.

Ms. Wickramanayake’s pivotal role in spearheading Youth 2030: The UN Youth Strategy stands as a testament to her extraordinary efforts in mainstreaming young people’s voices in the work of the UN, especially in decision-making. Her contributions, including her instrumental role in setting up the UN Youth Office, have been invaluable in bringing the voices of youth to the forefront of our mission, inspiring change and hope for future generations.

Dr. Paullier is currently the Director General of the National Youth Institute of Uruguay, a position he has held since 2020. He previously served in various political management positions, including as Deputy Mayor in the Municipality of the CH jurisdiction of Montevideo (2015-2020) and Alternate Counsellor in the Montevideo Departmental Legislative Court (2010-2015). He served as a Clinical Doctor and Paediatric Resident Physician at Pereira Rossell Paediatric Hospital (2017-2020), a Medical Intern in the Administración Nacional de Servicios de Salud del Estado (2015-2016) and as a Research Assistant in the Clinical Research Organization, BdBeq CRO (2012-2014).

Dr. Paullier is a medical doctor specialized in paediatrics. He graduated from the School of Medicine of the Universidad de la Republica Oriental de Uruguay and is currently completing a Master in Business Administration at the Universidad Católica de Uruguay. He is fluent in English and Spanish.