The Third Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change
The UN Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change provides him with practical, outcome-oriented advice and diverse perspectives from the global youth climate movement to drive action on his climate policy objectives.
Convened under the UN’s strategy and Our Common Agenda, the Youth Advisory Group serves as a vital mechanism for the Secretary-General to engage directly with young people on climate-related issues. It recognizes youth not only as a group disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change, but as essential actors, innovators, leaders, and problem-solvers driving change at every level. The third cohort of the Youth Advisory Group began its term on 12 August 2025.
In response to the concerning global trend of shrinking civic space that is putting young activists at risk and hindering meaningful youth engagement, the Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change has been expanded from seven to fourteen members. The Group was selected from a broad pool of candidates nominated by respected youth and climate-focused civil society organizations. The Youth Advisory Group includes representatives from across all regions of the world, with a variety of identities, experiences, perspectives, and expertise.
Recognizing that no single group can reflect the full diversity of the global youth climate movement, members are expected to engage widely across youth networks and bring forward perspectives beyond their own in their advice to the Secretary-General.
Please see criteria for the selection here.
“Climate change is the fight of our lives – and young people have been on the frontlines leading the charge for climate justice.”
Angela Busheska
Angela Busheska (North Macedonia) is an innovator and researcher whose work sits at the intersection of technology, climate justice, and youth engagement. She is the founder of the EnRoute mobile app to motivate and educate people to live a more eco-friendly life. She also invented TerraTrace, a patent-pending system supporting EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Her work has earned her honors including Forbes 30 Under 30, Glamour College Woman of the Year, We Are Family Foundation Global Teen Leader, and the Diana Award.
Ashley Lashley
Ashley Lashley (Barbados) is a passionate advocate for climate, health, and youth empowerment. As a UNICEF Youth Advocate, CARICOM Youth Ambassador, and former Miss World Barbados, she has committed her life to addressing global challenges. She founded Schools Against Non-Communicable Diseases and later launched the HEY Campaign, which has mobilized over 500 climate activists globally. She has grown the campaign through The Ashley Lashley Foundation into the world’s largest youth-led movement focused on climate and health. Ashley is also the visionary behind Eco Fit Youth and founder of the SIDS Global Children and Youth Action Summit.
Axel Eriksson
Axel Eriksson (Sweden) champions environmental justice as an educator, researcher, and engineer. He is the Training Manager of the Climate Youth Negotiators Programme at the Youth Negotiators Academy, supporting over 300 young climate negotiators. Axel has been involved in UN climate and biodiversity negotiations since 2021. He is a member of Generation Climate Europe and a member of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network Steering Committee. As a researcher, he has explored subjects, including environmental, social and economic modelling, systems thinking applied to social-ecological crises and participatory methods for empowering diverse voices.
Charitie Ropati
Charitie Ropati (United States) (Yup'ik & Samoan) is an Indigenous climate justice advocate, scientist and water engineer. She has worked on building pipe infrastructure and water infrastructure for rural Alaska Native communities. She is originally from the Native Village of Kongiganak Alaska, a small coastal community in the Southwest region of Alaska and Anchorage, Alaska. Charitie is a recent graduate from the School of Engineering at Columbia University and holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering on the Water Resources track, and concentrations in Earth and Environmental Engineering & Anthropology. She was awarded Champion for Change by the Center for Native American Youth for her work in education & climate and has been recognized by the World Wildlife Fund as a Conservation Leadership Awardee. She is the North America Regional Facilitator for the Youth Climate Justice Fund.
Farzana Faruk Jhumu
Farzana Faruk Jhumu (Bangladesh) is a climate justice activist and co-founder of Kaathpencil, an initiative working to ensure children’s rights, and gender equality and to mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis. Her journey into activism began in her first year of university when she co-founded Kaathpencil. Through her interactions with children from climate-affected districts, her focus shifted towards understanding and addressing their suffering. This led her to join Fridays For Future and coordinate actively with Fridays for Future MAPA (Most Affected People and Areas). Farzana currently works as a program coordinator with the People’s Climate Diplomacy Program, a youth-led initiative equipping young climate advocates with tools, training, and support to engage meaningfully in global climate negotiations.
Jabri Ibrahim
Jabri Ibrahim (Kenya) is a climate and energy policy expert with an extensive network across Africa, connecting youth movements, policymakers, and private sector leaders. Jabri has played a central role in mobilizing African youth for climate action, particularly through the African Youth Initiative on Climate Change (AYICC). Jabri is currently a Chevening Scholar pursuing a masters in Energy and Climate Policy at the University of Sussex. Previously, Jabri has worked at Africa Climate Energy Nexus (AfCEN), UNEP, the Kenya Red Cross, the UNFCCC Secretariat and the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions, contributing to initiatives such as the Africa Green Hydrogen Alliance, clean energy workstreams across COP26 to COP29, and the first-ever Youth Pavilion at a UNFCCC COP.
Kantuta Diana Conde
Kantuta Diana Conde (Bolivia) is an Aymara advocate working at the intersection of Indigenous peoples’ rights, youth engagement, and climate justice. She is a member of Red de Jóvenes Indígenas de América Latina y el Caribe (RED-LAC) and the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus, where she served as Regional Focal Point (2022–2024) and Co-Chair (2024–2025). She also serves on UNICEF’s Global Young Leaders Advisory Group and has contributed to youth and health initiatives with the Pan American Health Organization. She is currently studying law at the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés.
Lena Goings
Lena Goings (United States) is a 17-year-old environmental justice activist focused on the intersectionality between the climate and affordability crises. She is a core organizer with Fridays For Future NYC, New York’s leading youth-led climate advocacy organization, where she fights for a just energy transition and an end to the era of fossil fuels. She has worked to ensure the divestment of New York City’s $270 billion pension fund from remaining fossil fuel investments, passed landmark state-level legislation to raise $75 billion from fossil fuel companies to fund climate resiliency projects, and lobbied and held leaders accountable for their climate promises in order to work towards high ambition climate action.
Marcel Bodewig
Marcel Bodewig (Germany) is a climate activist and human rights advocate. He has been active with Amnesty International as well as other civil society organizations. In recent years, he has advanced Amnesty Germany's climate efforts, and has led an expert group on climate crisis and human rights. He is passionate about climate justice and especially interested in the intersection of climate and human rights. Marcel has a background in law, and holds a Master’s degree in Public International Law.
Okalani Mariner
Okalani Mariner (Samoa) is an artist, poet, environmental activist, and social entrepreneur passionate about amplifying Pacific voices and driving climate justice. As the co-founder and operations manager of Onelook Studio — Samoa’s first coworking and creative hub — she leads initiatives that merge professional development with creative empowerment. Through hybrid training, community events, and culturally grounded workshops, Okalani fosters spaces for young professionals to collaborate, innovate, and thrive. Her climate advocacy is deeply rooted in Indigenous knowledge and Pacific resilience. As the Samoa Country Coordinator for 350 Pacific Climate Warriors, Okalani leads grassroots campaigns addressing the frontline impacts of the climate crisis while advocating for climate justice on regional and global platforms.
Sibusiso Mazomba
Sibusiso Mazomba (South Africa) is a climate justice activist, advocate, and researcher. He leads youth advocacy at the African Climate Alliance, driving initiatives to ensure meaningful youth participation in decision-making. He has mobilized young people across Eastern and Southern African communities and played a pivotal role in the #CancelCoal campaign, which successfully blocked new coal procurement in South Africa’s energy plans in 2024 and won the Mail & Guardian Greening the Future Award. A junior negotiator for South Africa’s UNFCCC delegation since COP26, he has contributed to negotiations on adaptation, oceans, and loss and damage, representing youth and national interests on the global stage.
罢虫补颈&苍产蝉辫;厂耻谤耻í
Txai Suruí (Brazil) is an climate justice activist whose activism began when she was a child, following in the footsteps of her parents who were also human rights defenders. She is a young Indigenous leader of the Paiter Suruí people, who founded the Indigenous Youth movement of Rond?nia with the intention of articulating and strengthening the indigenous youth of her state.She coordinates the Associa??o de Defesa Etnoambiental - Kanindé, an organization that has been working for over 30 years on territorial protection, food security of communities indigenous peoples, strengthening root and youth and women's organizations, advocacy nationally and internationally. She has participated in international forums, including speaking at the opening of COP26, and serves as an advisor to the Avina Foundation, UN Global Compact, and WWF-Brazil, among others.
Zagy Berian
Zagy Berian (Indonesia) is a social impact leader focused on empowering youth to play an active role in the sustainability sector. He is the founder of the Society of Renewable Energy (SRE), a national movement engaging young people across Indonesia. He serves as Regional Facilitator for the Youth Climate Justice Fund in South Asia and as Chief of the Southeast Asia Youth Forum on Energy under ASEAN. He contributes to the youth engagement strategy of the G20 Energy Transition Working Group and the B20 Task Force on Energy.
Zuzanna Borowska
Zuzanna Borowska (Poland) is a social activist and climate advocate, dedicated to the values of dialogue, cooperation, and democracy. Zuzanna is the founder and President of the Open Dialogues International Foundation and the main coordinator of the Open Dialogues on Climate Change - a global initiative which involves organizing climate dialogues between different stakeholders in 50+ countries. Zuzanna is a member of YOUNGO, the official youth constituency of UNFCCC, and was the Head Organizer of the first two editions of the Polish Local Conference of Youth (LCOY Poland). She has been an European Climate Pact Ambassador since 2022.