- Zheng Shuang, China
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Ms. Zheng Shuang is the youngest Chinese actress to be nominated for Best Actress at the China TV Golden Eagle Award. She was also chosen by Southern Metropolis Daily as one of the "Four Dan actresses of the post-90s Generation".
At COP 25, Ms. Zheng Shuang paired together with Youthink Center as a Youth4Climate Ambassador and committed to UN ESCAP the engagement of Chinese youth for the Youth Voices for Climate Action campaign (see here for more on that).
Credit: Rosa Castañeda
Asia-Pacific Region
- Amishi Parasrampuria, India
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Amishi is a social entrepreneur running Upcycler's Lab full time. At Upcycler's Lab, their vision is to change mindset and behaviour around the environment and we do this by creating award winning play-based learning tools on environmental concepts for children ages 2-9. They currently sell these tools to organizations working on government projects. Our products are being implemented as a part of Green Schools Programs in both Kuwait and Singapore. With over 8 years of experience in sustainability, Amishi has done consulting work for private companies such as Blackforest Solutions GmBh. Her work on upcycling has also been featured by over 45 media publications. Besides being a full time entrepreneur and her consulting work, she is also a part of the Mumbai Chapter of the Global Shapers (A World Economic Forum initiative), through which she undertakes several impact projects in Mumbai. She also serves as Regional Lead on the Climate Action Steering Committee of Global Shapers International.
Connect with Amishi:
- Aniket Gupta, India
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Born in India, 18 year old Aniket started his journey when he was in grade 10 by taking an initiative to bring a wave of inquisitiveness in children to help them become future leaders by STEM Education through which he reached to over 20,000 school children. He was recognised by the Ministry of Science, Government of India, and United Nations. His other initiative, The Tale of Mankind: SDGs & Human Rights aims to bring the Global Goals & Human Rights Education to every classroom. He believes that Young People have the power to change the world but that power needs to be unleashed by empowering them to become changemakers.
Connect with Aniket:
- Ashley Yong, Malaysia
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Ashley is currently serving as a representative of Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation at the United Nations, as well as a project coordinator of Tzu Chi’s aid project in the Republic of Sierra Leone. An advocate for climate action and environmental protection, she works with other young people to build communities with responsible and sustainable lifestyles. Recognizing the urgency of climate issues and the interconnectedness with other global issues, she wishes to raise more awareness and call for more actionable commitments from the youth around the globe. Ashley has made great contributions to the campaign.
Connect with Ashley:
- Asel Kubanychbekova, Kyrgyzstan
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Asel Kubanychbekova, 24 years old, is the Founder of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Development Fund in Kyrgyzstan, a Board Member of Public Union "Civic Engagement", a Women Deliver Young Leaders Program Alumni, and a Member of the working group on developing the National Program on Women Entrepreneurship under the Ministry of Economy of the Kyrgyz Republic. She is passionate about women's economic empowerment.
Connect with Asel:
- Aung Than Oo, Myanmar
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Dr. Aung Than Oo is a youth policy activist from Yangon and founder of Myanmar Youth Foundation for SDG. He has also been a My World ASEAN Advocate since 2018. In addition, Aung Than Oo is a medical doctor and community leader, focusing on community-based projects that create social impact.
Connect with Aung Than Oo:
- Edgar V. Medrano, Jr., Philippines
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Edgar Ventura Medrano, Jr. grew up in Aparri, Cagayan. He is in his second year of college at Philippine Nazarene College, taking up Bachelor of Arts in Theology in La Trinidad, Benguet. As a youth, Edgar wants to make a difference and be an advocate for change. He is a member of the Cordillera Youth Movers Programme (CYMP) which has become a platform for him to share his advocacy. His involvement at CYMP opened opportunities for him to join other organizations and broadened his involvement and awareness of the SDGs.
Connect with Edgar:
- Eshaan Menon, Malaysia
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A youth from Malaysia, Eshaan is currently an Information Technology Resident at Google in addition to a Youth Advisory Council Member for Asia for the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA). Formerly, during his term as Youth Program Director at the United Nations Association of Malaysia (UNAM) Youth, he focused on expanding the reach of UNAM Youth through a digital membership platform as well as campus activities such as fundraisers and Town Halls. In 2019, Eshaan was a winner of the Reboot the Earth, a social coding event that brings young computer programmers, scientists and other interested people together under the auspices of the United Nations to improve upon or build a new software program that addresses the current climate crisis. YV4CA had the pleasure of inviting Eshaan to speak during its launch at Asia-Pacific Climate Week.
17 Ways to Save the World | Eshaan Menon | TEDxYouth@SKIS
- Er. Karishma Das, India
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Er. Karishma Das is a software engineer at CSM Technologies. She is also an International Relations Manager (IRM) in the National Youth Project, Odisha. She is a passionate social activist working on youth development, societal development, and women empowerment.
She has been called up as a delegate to TECH2017 organised by UNESCO in collaboration with the Government of Andra Pradesh. She is also working on the “Rebuild Odisha” project, in response to Cyclone Fani. In addition, she helps promote entrepreneurial skills and the SDGs among unemployed youth, including students and women. She had helped village students and women to grow independently by sharing entrepreneurial ideas.
Connect with Karishma:
- Fithriyyah, Indonesia
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Fithriyyah has been a youth environmental activist since 2015, focusing on climate change and marine debris issues. She is also a Doctor of Medicine from Tanjungpura University. She started her first volunteer activity by joining Earth Hour Pontianak from 2015 to 2017 and was involved in a lot of campaigns and conservation education activities. In 2015, she also joined Hilo Green Community (HGC) Pontianak where she stayed until 2018. This was a successful youth environmental movement at that time. Then in 2019, she introduced and established Seangle Indonesia Chapter Pontianak, which aims to educate people who live alongside the Kapuas River to stop littering and empowering youth to take action for a better environment. She also involved twice as province level – core team in World Clean Up Day (WCD), as Knowledge Team Coordinator in 2019, and as Co-Leader in 2020.
Fithriyyah has spoken at some international events such as: the UNESCAP-UNDESA Asia-Pacific Stakeholder Webinar 2020 about marine plastic pollution, the UN75 Asia Youth Dialogue by Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, the Virtual Bootcamp "Active Citizens: A World Without Plastic" by Britsh Council Vietnam, and the 15th Policy Consultation Forum of The Seoul Initiative Network on Green Growth (SINGG) 2020. She also participated in the APFSD Youth Forum 2019 as climate change panelist in Thailand, bringing up river littering and how youth are helping to save the environment in Pontianak City. Now, she has established and is leading a project called Asia-Pacific Climate Project that promotes SDGs 13, 14, and 15 and provides an online platform for youth in Asia-Pacific to interact and engage on environmental issues.
Connect with Fithriyyah:
- Hafiz Jawad Sohail, Pakistan
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Hafiz Jawad Sohail is a climate activist and sustainability advocate. He’s a trained climate reality leader, UN volunteer, and community leader. Having outstanding exposure and linkages in the area of SDGs, climate change, and international development, Hafiz is associated with UN SDSN as a Project Officer, a climate ambassador with the World Bank’s Y2Y community - GYCN and a member of YOUNGO (official youth constituency of UNFCCC). He was also a delegate to the COP26 (UN Climate Change Conference) that took place in Glasgow, Scotland and has served as the country coordinator of COY16 (UN Climate Change Conference of Youth). He’s a geoscience graduate followed by masters in public policy and administration and is currently pursuing his career with WWF-Pakistan (World Wide Fund for Nature), Pakistan’s largest organization for environmental conservation.
Connect with Hafiz:
- Irvandias Sanjaya, Indonesia
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Irvandias Sanjaya (25) is currently working as a career coach at RevoU, an ed-tech platform focused on digital marketing & advisory. He is also a board member of PT Siaga Air Bersih Indonesia (SIAB) Indonesia. Dias is a social entrepreneur and passion-driven person in disability economic empowerment issues with five years of experience. Dias was named to LinkedIn Power Profile Social Impact in 2018 & a Top 100 Meaningful Business Leader by Hot Topics in 2019. Dias was a scholar of YSEALI at Arizona State University, USA Social Business by the U.S. Department of State, 2017. Prior, Dias was involved as an intern and fellow in prestigious global company brands (Unilever, McKinsey, Tokopedia, and ASEAN Foundation).
Connect with Dias:
- IS Khulal Magar, Nepal
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IS Khulal Magar is currently perusing Bachelors of Public Administration. He is also serving as a Board Member in Youth For Environment Education And Development Foundation (YFEED Foundation). He is also an active member of the Leo Club of Creative Youth Kathmandu where he serves as Club Service Chairperson.
Connect with IS Khulal Magar:
- Jose Marie Amo Eslopor, Philippines
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Jose Marie Eslopor is a Climate Action leader from the Philippines. He is finishing his degree in Masters of Marine Affairs and is actively participating on the Youth Advisory Council for the World Oceans Day under The Ocean Project, and as an AP Ranger of the Asia-Pacific Climate Project.
He is currently conducting several projects together with Save Philippine Seas, specifically on marine debris education among coastal communities. Currently, he is starting a movement called Ocean Conservation and Environmental Advocates Network – Community Learning Hub (OCEAN Collab) to empower youth on Climate Action and raise awareness on environmental conservation efforts.
Connect with Jose Marie Amo Eslopor:
- Khilola Abdullaeva, Uzbekistan
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Khilola Abdullaeva is a student of ecology and environmental protection at the Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. She is a member of the Union of Youth, promoting youth rights and active dialogue with and participation in the government. She was participant SDG Olympiad in Central Asia organized by the German-Kazakh University, where she promoted her Green Roofs project. Green Roofs is a project for greening the roofs of residential buildings, business centers, social buildings and the creation of recreation areas, cafes, restaurants and playgrounds. - Krishna Bahadur Khadka, Nepal
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Krishna Bahadur Khadka is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and serving as a Founder/Chairperson of Youth For Environment Education and Development Foundation, Nepal (YFEED Foundation). Mr. Khadka has established YFEED Foundation to serve in the field of environment, education, and development by promoting youth empowerment, community development, and environmental protection. He has been enthusiastically working in the field of climate change, advocacy, and youth empowerment.
Connect with Krishna:
- Lilly Satidtanasarn, Thailand
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Sometimes little people can have big voices. This is definitely true of Thailand's Lilly Satidtanasarn, a name to remember. Lilly has been a hands-on environmental activist since she was 8 years old and is one of Thailand's most influential youth activists. For example, she has inspired many people to take action towards phasing out harmful single-use plastics in her country, one of the biggest consumers of plastics per capita. Her successful approach revolves around connecting with people and empowering her peers. Recently, she has turned attention towards climate change and air pollution and provides a much needed voice for climate action. Keep up to date on Lilly's next action!
- Me Me Zin Oo, Myanmar
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Me Me is a student from Myanmar who is currently studying for a B.A English degree in Bangkok, Thailand. She is passionate about animal welfare, gender equality, and mental health awareness. She has been an enthusiastic supporter of YV4CA.
- Mesbah Uddin, Bangladesh
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Mesbah has been volunteering since 2009. He recently completed his Master of Laws on Human Rights from the School of Law at Chittagong Independent University. He is currently working as apprentice lawyer in Cox’s Bazar Judge court but also running a non profit organisation called "Team Cox's Bazar" with 350 volunteers.
Connect with Mesbah:
- Mohammad Ahmad, India
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Ahmad has represented India at the 2019 Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development. He has also completed workshops on sustainable development organized by the Ministry of Sweden at the UN in 2019. Ahmad is, in addition, a member of the Scientific Council at Fatima Al-Fihri Open University in Morocco, the Recipient of the prestigious Global Savvy Fellowship, a Panelist in International Forums/Symposium for Oxford University CCR Said Business School, a UNITE 2030 contributor, and a delegate for representing India at Sunfo Global Representation. Ahmad is a UN Volunteer as well, teaching online in rural India and promoting education through the organization eVidyaloka. He is also the deputy country coordinator for the International Youth Development Society. He is currently working as an assistant professor at RIIM (Pune), a visiting faculty in colleges of Pune, and pursuing a Ph.D. in sustainable development.
Connect with Ahmad:
- Namitha Kuttiparambil, India
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A strong believer in creative expression, Namitha (from India) finds her voice through poetry and dance. She is, however, an architect by profession and is finding ways to go beyond producing an emotional impact through the mediums that fuel her passion to create a physical one that will, hopefully, stand the test of time. The endeavour to do so isn’t limited to the field of architecture. She strives to not only make her voice heard and help others raise theirs, but also to lead by example through lifestyle changes, because, after all, actions do speak louder than words.
Connect with Namitha:
- Nanticha Ocharoenchai, Thailand
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Nanticha (Lynn) Ocharoenchai is a young storyteller, environmental activist, and climate action crusader from Thailand. Notably, Lynn is the founder of Climate Strike Thailand. Lynn takes a holistic approach to her work and demands concrete actions. Keep up to date on her next action!
Connect with Lynn:
- Nidhi Pant, India
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Nidhi is Co-Founder of Science For Society - S4S Technologies. S4S Technologies is a near-farm gate food processing platform converting farm losses to value-added products for F&B Industry-saving time, cost and energy for them. S4S trains landless Women Farmers, transforming them to Micro-Entrepreneurs by providing the right combination of - technology, finance, and market. S4S is working with over 2,700 women farmers and serving over 1 million customers. She is the winner of Women Transforming India Awards by NITI Aayog in collaboration with the United Nations. She has also listed in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia and Winner of Unilever Young Entrepreneur Award 2019 by Unilever and the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. She was also named 'Emerging Innovator of the Year' at the inaugural edition of Economic Times Women Leadership Awards (ETPWLA). Nidhi holds a bachelor's in Chemical Technology from the Institute of Chemical Technology.
Connect with Nidhi:
- Omar Faruk, Bangladesh
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Omar Faruk is from Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. He started humanitarian work in August 2017 to document the Rohingya crisis. He is also a journalist for a local newspaper where he started his voluntary work in 2011. In addition, Omar is involved with the Bangladeshi NGO Young Power in Social Action (YPSA) where he has worked for 2 years. He is also the founder of the WE CAN Platform, which is a part of the British Council Bangladesh. Omar lives in a flood affected area and is familiar with the affects of climate change. As such, WE CAN works on climate issues among others that affect Bangladesh.
Omar also works to stop child marriage and other related issues. Furthermore, he is the senior vice president of a local social organization called Michil. There, he works on climate change issues, gender equality and others. He is also a leader for the global climate strike in Bangladesh.
On account of his work, he also had the chance to join the APFSD Youth Forum 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand, organized by ARROW; an international seminar on climate issues in Calcutta, India; and the International Youth Program in Banten, Indonesia.
- Pallawish Kumar, Fiji
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Pallawish Kumar is a climate action champion from Fiji. He started humanitarian work in August 2019. He is the Founder of the Youth 4 Climate Action Project (Y4CAP), which is an organisation that aims to combat climate change. Y4CAP is also supporting the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for a better future. Y4CAP is an organisation that consists of members from all over the globe and promotes ways to combat climate change and provides factual information to the audience about climate change, human rights, and the SDGs to improve standards of living.
In addition, Pallawish by profession works as a Human Resource Manager and is a photographer who runs his own business The Picture House. When it comes to the climate action world, he is also the Co-Founder of Asia-Pacific Climate Project (APCP) and serves as the Pacific focal point for APCP, where he has worked for a year now. He currently works closely with the NGO Project Survival Pacific as well. Pallawish believes that he has a responsibility to stand up and be a leader. We have a collective responsibility to positively influence people so that better decisions are made, wherein the environment is seen as an important system and the potential for solving the climate crisis is actualized.
On account of his work, he also had the chance to represent youth from the Pacific and his country in the MOCKCOP 26 Delegation in 2020; the APFSD Youth Forum 2021 (organized by ARROW); an international seminar on climate issues in Calcutta, India; and the International Youth Program in Banten, Indonesia. Also he was selected as the youth observer at the fourth meeting of the Facilitative Working Group of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform which took place from 14 to 17 December 2020. Lastly, he has been selected in the Island Innovation Ambassador Program 2021 and is now a Island Ambassador
Connect with Pallawish:
- Pranita Rimal, Bhutan
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Pranita has pursued her BSc. in Environment and Climate Studies . As a citizen of Bhutan, which is the only carbon negative country yet is no exception to the adverse impacts of climate change, she has actively been part of volunteer work and as a member of important youth based organisations. Currently she is pursuing her masters at The Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand specializing in marine plastic abatement with scholarship awarded by the Japanese Government.
- Ratchanon Ghogar, Thailand
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Ratchanon is from Thailand. He has been committed to advocate young people's views in policy-making because he believes in the idea of a just society that empowers all its members as equals, irrespective of their age, ethnic, religious or economic status. Ratchanon has studied International Relations while working for international companies in Thailand. He is a passionate discussant, using public debates to address various environmental, education and peace issues.
Connect with Ratchanon:
- Rubina Adhikari, Nepal
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Rubina is a student of Bsc. Forestry. She takes a keen interest in climate change. She realized as a youth there are so many things to change and if we all come together we can combat anything. Rubina envisions to have a safer planet, a healthier planet.
Connect with Rubina:
- Saffran Mihnar, Sri Lanka
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Saffran is a youth advocate from Sri Lanka focused on communication, campaigning, and negotiations with the ability to strategically identify, devise and implement solutions to global development.
He works in empowering young people in the field of climate change and sustainable development. While having been engaged in the process for more than five years, he has contributed to the national and international youth platforms and communication at UNFCCC Sessions since COP21 as well as several other international conferences & workshops such as One Planet Summit, European Conference on Science Journalism, EuroScience Open Forums and High-level Meeting on “Climate and Sustainable Development for All.”Saffran has also been awarded as the most outstanding global leader for the success and contribution towards Global Youth Power Campaign launched by Restless Development.
He currently serves as the director for development and communication for a youth-led organization named EarthLanka Youth Network.
Connect with Saffran:
- Shaan Suhas Kumar, India
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As a Programme Manager at Wedu, a Climate Reality Leader, and an Ambassador for Marine Arctic Peace Sanctuary, Shaan is a social development professional and environmental activist from India. She is working to sensitize more people about the Sustainable Development Goals and the Climate Crises as she believes that this is the most pressing issue of our time and if sufficient climate action is not worked upon soon, it will undo the progress made with all the other SDGs as well.
Connect with Shaan:
- Sonika Poudel, Nepal
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Sonika Poudel is from Kathmandu Nepal, an undergraduate student persuing a Bachelor's in agriculture science. She is also working as VP of External Relations of the International Association of Students in Agriculture and Related Sciences (IAAS Nepal), Local Committee, Lamjung. She aims to establish and promote sustainability in the Nepalese agriculture system in relation to climate change and had been advocating for it. She believes that it is the responsibility of youth to direct our practices towards a better and sustainable future for the humankind as well as all the living beings of the planet.
Connect with Sonika:
- Ttinnabhop Bandhunark, Thailand
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Ttinnabhop Bandhunark, a self-described "regular Thai university student" and former Local Committee President of AIESEC (a youth leadership development program), is an exemplary youth volunteer from Bangkok, Thailand. Ttinnabhop has volunteered for UNESCAP at the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development among other conferences and has been selected to be one of the last 15 candidates for the UNGA Youth Delegates. In addition, he has regularly contributed towards SDG-oriented activities in his university and has participated in UNICEF's 21st Century Changemakers Workshop. Lastly, Ttinnabhop has made great contributions for the Youth Voices for Climate Action campaign at Asia-Pacific Climate Week 2019 and beyond.
- Wesley Clarke S. Silvederio, Philippines
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Wesley Clarke S. Silvederio is a student from Notre Dame of Marbel University (NDMU), Philippines. He is also a member of the Junior Science Educators Guild in NDMU. He believes that sustainable development and green technology are the keys to a green recovery of our planet. He is interested in education, the fight against illegal wildlife trade, and climate change.
- Yujin Jang, Republic of Korea
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Yujin (Jenny) from the Republic of Korea is dedicated to making positive impact. "If we start moving for climate now, the future can change." -Jenny
Connect with Jenny:
- Zwe Yin Phyu, Myanmar
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Zwe Yin Phyu graduated with honors from the University of Yangon, specializing in Geology. She has volunteered as an officer at the American Center iNature Environmental club for two years and has studied Environmental Science at the University of Malaysia Sabah under the SHARE scholarship program as a mobility student. Furthermore, she was a delegate of YSEALI Marine Debris Expedition 2018 Regional Workshop in Jakarta, Indonesia. She was also awarded the ASEAN Youth Eco-Champion Award 2019 in recognition of initiative and significant contribution to realizing a clean and green environment in the category of Junior Youth on ASEAN Environment Day 2019. Now, she is a postgraduate student at the Asian Institute of Technology specializing in Marine Plastic Abatement.
- Zhansaya, Kazakhstan
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Formerly an Environmental Affairs Intern at the UN ESCAP Subregional Office for North and Central Asia, Zhansaya graduated from King's College London with a BA in International Relations and is currently pursuing a Master's degree at the University of Tokyo with a major in International Politics and Public Management. She has carried out practical research about the impact of COVI-19 on the current progress of the SDGs in North and Central Asia, including about the consequences of quarantine measures on the levels of air-pollution in the region.
Connect with Zhansaya:
Other Regions
- Claud Edmund Fletcher, South Africa
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Claud Edmund Fletcher was born in South Africa and currently resides in Bangkok, Thailand as an undergraduate student in the field of International Relations. His interests include discussing current events; advocating for the rights of women, children and LGBTQ+ members; and studying government policy.
Connect with Claud:
- Gareth Billingham, South Africa
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Gareth is currently studying International Relations and Global Affairs at Mahidol University International College. He is the PR manager of the MUN club, loves participating in debates concerning world issues, and has a strong focus on global conflict studies.
Connect with Gareth:
- Ivan Buljević, Croatia
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Born in Split, Croatia, Ivan is a young medical professional and Pacific Island enthusiast concerned about climate change.
Connect with Ivan:
- Jolly Jonathan, Nigeria
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Jonathan Jolly is a climate activist and a passionate SDGs advocate currently serving as the Country Coordinator-Nigeria for Youthink Center's SDGCorps. He is also Co-founded of Circular Vibes Network (CVNet), an organization that aims at Advocacy, Volunteerism and Humanitarian Service.
He is a graduate of Information Technology from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi State, Nigeria. Furthermore, he is an International Leadership Institute (ILI) Alumni, YALINetwork Fellow, ShARE-ALP Fellow, and a technopreneur.
Jonathan championed a campaign against rape and other forms of abuse in June, 2020 with a hashtag #ZeroRapeIsPossible. This was with the view of advocating for young people about the dangers involved. He has also spoken in the Annual African E-Conference for Human Rights and Social Justice Advocates 2020. Additioanlly, he has participated in a virtual session of The ENVIRONET Series II by Energi Karya, 2020. He also participated in the Youth for Climate Adaptation Summit 2021.
Connect with Jolly Jonathan:
- José Beltrán Esono, Equatorial Guinea
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José is a student from Equatorial Guinea who is currently in Thailand for academic purposes. For a long time, climate change and climate action has caught his attention, prompting his participation in the Youth Voices for Climate Action campaign.
Connect with José:
- Robin Happel, United States
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Robin is an American environmental law student, Climate Reality Leader, UN Association fellow (reporting on climate summits), Web Manager for YV4CA partner organization I am Climate Justice (seeking climate justice from International Court of Justice), and recently part of the Sunrise Movement's Class of 0000 Campaign with the Alliance for Climate Education and other climate activists. As a law student, she wants to be an ally to younger students in the climate action movement, and ensure that their voices are heard.