Hillary Briffa is one of 10 international honorees of the US Department of State’s Emerging Young Leaders Award.

Ms Briffa participated in the Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellowship, a US government exchange programme, in 2010. 

Hillary Briffa

On April 20, the US Department of State will honour 10 outstanding young people from around the world for their efforts in building sustainable peace and constructive social change in their communities.

Ms Briffa and her fellow honorees will receive the first-ever Department of State Emerging Young Leaders Award.

Ms Briffa has played a pivotal role in raising the profile of young people in international affairs. Her work has focused on youth issues ranging from access to healthcare and education to combating discrimination, facilitating employment and entrepreneurship, and countering online hate speech.

She helped lead a campaign against violent extremism at the OSCE’s human rights conference in Europe.

Ms Briffa developed and received a grant for a summer school on Peacebuilding in Eastern Europe. She designed and implemented grassroots educational projects and led after-school courses on conflict resolution and debate in London, where she is currently pursuing a Ph.D.

Ambassador G. Kathleen Hill congratulated Ms Briffa and echoed President Obama’s remarks, “I’m always inspired by young people.”  She reiterated the Embassy’s commitment to support Malta’s future leaders.

“I assure you that I will continue to uphold the Embassy’s tradition of supporting youth exchanges, debating academies and conferences that address regional and local issues of concern, such as Mediterranean security, diversity and integration, climate change and environmental issues, entrepreneurship, and healthy lifestyles,” she said.

Ambassador Hill encouraged youths and students to reach out to the US Embassy, saying, “We actively look for opportunities to support youth exchange and youth leadership programmes.”