Youth Connect Live: building an inclusive climate future

Amanda is a climate activist, young adviser to the UN Global Compact, founder of the Sustainable Perifa Institute, and presenter of #TemClimaParaisso?, a programme about the climate crisis. A graduate in International Relations, Amanda was recognized as #Under30 in Forbes magazine, TEDx Speaker, LinkedIn Top Voices and Creator. In 2021 she was the deputy curator of Global Shapers, the youth community of the World Economic Forum. She is currently working as a consultant on the British Council Climate Skills programme.

Carmen Villa is an activist and advocate, founder of the Mexican nonprofit Ligalab, and the adviser to the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. With over 15 years of experience in the civil society sector in Mexico, her work has focused on advancing civic engagement and strengthening the non-profit sector at the local level. Carmen holds an MA in Education from McGill University, awarded through a scholarship from the National Mexican Council of Science, Technology and Humanities (CONACyT). In 2014, she founded Ligalab, a local organization in southeast Mexico focused on building strong citizenship that actively engages with and influences government actions. Over the past decade, Ligalab has been instrumental in promoting civic engagement, advocacy, and public policy influencing. Carmen enjoys coffee and is a proud cat lover, sharing her life with three beloved felines.

Elilini Hoole is a PhD candidate at the Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge. Her research focuses on development-oriented climate policies in support of vulnerable communities. Prior to starting her PhD, Elil was an established management consultant who applied economic research to designing organizational strategy and partnerships for development-oriented climate responses in vulnerable regions affected by conflict and climate disasters. As a practitioner, she specialized in research-based analysis of climate change and development issues to design progressive, high-impact, and risk conscious strategies. While having worked in over 19 countries, Elil spent several years in post-conflict areas of Sri Lanka, supporting the return of displaced communities in the North and developing innovative green growth programs that bridged immediate socio-economic vulnerabilities with long term sustainable developmental goals. Her current research draws on these experiences to explore how climate policies can more equitably and efficaciously benefit marginalized groups.

Firuza Nasibzade is a project manager based in Baku, Azerbaijan working at COP29 with Kronos Enterprise. She is also an alumna of the State Program of Azerbaijan with an MA from UCL in Education, Gender, and International Development.

Ruadháin Bonham is based in Meath Ireland, (right beside Dublin) and is currently working as a Senior Immigration Analyst at Fragomen. He recently completed a Bachelors degree in Economics, Politics and Law at Dublin City University. He has been an environmental campaigner for 4 years and recently ran in the local elections for the Green Party in the local elections in Ireland.

A dedicated leader in environmental sustainability, project management, and business development, with over five years of experience. She focuses on the SDGs 7, 12, and 13 being the founder of the ASEAN Youth Community for Household Hazardous Waste (AYCHW). Under her leadership, AYCHW has empowered over 500 youth and partnered with 25+ organizations across Southeast Asia through workshops, campaigns, and masterclasses. As the leader of Catalyst of Change Indonesia, Seruni promotes circular economy practices and empowers scavenger women through entrepreneurship education. Currently, she is part of the Springboard Elevate Program by UNDP and Citi Foundation, developing her path as a social entrepreneur in waste management. Passionate about carbon management and net-zero goals, Seruni was selected as one of 285 participants for the Global Youth Climate Training by Oxford University and the Global Youth Coalition, gaining expertise in climate policy and youth engagement.

Shikha is a development professional with over five years of diverse experience spanning policy research, government advisory, climate action, and social impact. Currently, she is a Senior Project Officer at Climate Group, where she spearheads a youth-focused climate program in India and supports subnational governments to advance their climate action objectives. A passionate advocate for youth collectives, Shikha believes in their potential to drive meaningful change and has shared her insights at several national and international conferences. She holds an academic background in Economics and has previously worked with the Swaniti Initiative and the Government of Haryana.