The Young Activists Summit will honour five young people, including climate activist Sohanur Rahman from Bangladesh, on November 19 for having inspired and mobilized their communities to create meaningful change.
Taking place at the Palais des Nations, home of the United Nations Office in Geneva, Switzerland, the event will be webcast live and will be open to the media, reads a press release issued on Monday.
Now in its sixth edition, the Young Activists Summit will showcase the five inspiring individuals, aged between 19 and 29, whose impactful actions are shaping communities around the globe.
The stories of the five laureates show how collective action by groups or movements can successfully protect the environment and defend human rights.
Sohanur Rahman, democracy and climate action
After surviving Cyclone Sidr as a child, Sohanur Rahman, now 27, recognized the extreme vulnerability of communities to climate-induced disasters, which hit Bangladesh especially hard.
This led him to become a key figure in the country’s fight against climate change, says the release.
In 2016, he founded YouthNet for Climate Justice, to raise awareness of climate issues among younger generations.
In 2019, a campaign led by YouthNet led the parliament of Bangladesh to declare the climate crisis a planetary emergency, according to the press release.
YouthNet also helped halt the construction of 10 coal plants.
Recently, Sohanur and his group played a key role in peaceful student protests advocating for greater democracy in Bangladesh.
Today, Sohanur continues to push for climate action to be prioritized on the interim government’s agenda.
The other laureates are Marley Dias, 19, US (black representation in the media); Shanley McLaren, 25, France (online gender-based violence); Alvaro Quiroz, 25, Mexico (helping the homeless); and Cynthia Houniuhi, 29, Solomon Islands (climate change and human rights).
The five Laureates will participate in the Young Activists Summit in person at the Palais des Nations in November and will be available for interviews in the run-up to the event and on the day of the Summit.
Drawing from the African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,” this year’s edition, carrying the theme “Go Far, Go Together,” celebrates the power of collective action.
