Oumou is one of 17 inaugural members of the IUCN Youth Advisory Committee (YAC). The first of its kind, the YAC was launched in April 2024 to support the implementation of the IUCN Youth Strategy across the Union. The YAC is comprised of youth from across the globe, each bringing their own diverse experiences to support meaningful youth engagement in IUCN’s policies, processes and programmes. Get to know Oumou and other YAC members as we introduce them.
Hi everyone, my name is Oumou A Dicko! I am a young leader with over 6 years of experience in community life in Mali. I was born and raised in Dallah the center of Mali, located in the Douentza region. Here, I received my Diplôme d’étude fondamentale (DEF) in 2014 and a Malian baccalaureate diploma in literature in 2018. In 2023, I also received a Bachelor’s degree in Language and Literature at the University of Letters Sciences Humans in Bamako, in the Faculty of Letters and Langue Sciences of Languages (FLSL).
With my commitment to my community and my interest in the English language and American culture, I wanted to strengthen my capacity in the different training courses. This led me to join the American center at the US embassy in Mali. During my time at the center I ventured into various activities and training courses, such as entrepreneurship, leadership, violent extremism, IT, etc.
In recognition of my continued support for civic commitment, I was selected by the US government through the Young Women’s Economic Empowerment Exchange (SUSI) program, funded by the US State Department, for leadership and entrepreneurship training at the University of Delaware in the USA. Here I was joined by 80 young female leaders from around the world.
I have a great love of nature and a wealth of experience in associative life in terms of leadership, good associative governance, team spirit and community involvement. These experiences helped me create an the Youth Association for the Defense of Human Rights and Environmental Protection (AJDHPE), which works to defend the rights of women and children and protect the environment.
In 2023, the organization took part in the African summit on climate change in Kenya, where it represented Mali among other countries. That same year the AJDHPE represented Mali again at the 10th meeting of the facultative working group of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIPP) and then at COP 28, where it was solicited as a holder of Indigenous knowledge.