A young Indian is among seven young climate leaders, between the age of 18-28 years, who will advise UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on accelerating global action to tackle the worsening climate crisis.
Archana Soreng from Orissa is experienced in advocacy and research. Her work documents, preserves, and promotes traditional knowledge and cultural practices of indigenous communities. She joins other climate leaders from Sudan, Fiji, Moldova, the US, France and Brazil in the Youth Advisory Group.
“Our ancestors have been protecting the forest and nature over the ages through their traditional knowledge and practices. Now it is on us to be the frontrunners in combating the climate crisis,” Soreng said.
The members of the Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change represent the diverse voices of young people from all regions as well as small island states. They will offer perspectives and solutions on climate change, from science to community mobilisation, from entrepreneurship to politics, and from industry to conservation.
“We need urgent action now – to recover better from COVID-19, to confront injustice and inequality and address climate disruption,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres about the advisory group. “We have seen young people on the frontlines of climate action, showing us what bold leadership looks like. That is why I am launching my Youth Advisory Group on climate change today – to provide perspectives, ideas and solutions that will help us scale up climate action.”
Other selected members include Sudan’s Nisreen Elsaim a climate activist and junior negotiator at intergovernmental climate change platforms; France’s Nathan Metenier who is the founder and coordinator of Generation Climate Europe and spokesperson for Youth and Environment Europe; and Moldova’s Vladislav Kaim, a young economist with expertise in international trade and migration.
The establishment of the Group builds on the first ever Youth Climate Summit in 2019. It brought over 1,000 young climate champions together from more than 140 countries to share their solutions on the global stage. The initiative is also aligned with the Secretary-General’s vision for the UN Youth Strategy, launched in September 2018.
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