Gambian climate campaigner Fatou Jeng is among seven youth leaders appointed to advise the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on speeding up action on global climate change.
Fatou is part of the new cohort of the Secretary General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change which will serve for the next two years. She was selected from a pool of candidates nominated by youth- and climate-focused non-governmental and civil society organizations worldwide.
Fatou founded Clean Earth Gambia, a youth-led, local climate organization that has mobilized thousands of Gambian youth to help marginalized and vulnerable communities build resilience to climate change. She is also a member of the African Youth Initiative on Climate Change (AYICC) where she supports the implementation of the network’s projects.
Moreover, she is a gender climate negotiator for The Gambia to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). She holds a Master’s degree in Environment, Development, and Policy from the University of Sussex.
Other leaders appointed to the Advisory Group include:
- Ayisha Siddiqa, a Pakistani-American human rights and tribal land defender.
- Beniamin Strzelecki, a polish climate action and energy transition advocate.
- Jevanic Henry, a climate and development professional and advocate in Santa Lucia.
- Joice Mendez, a social entrepreneur, and climate advocate in Paraguay.
- Saoirse Exton is a climate justice activist with Fridays for Future in Ireland.
- Josefa Tauli, an indigenous youth activist in the Philippines.