Climate justice fighter wins Children’s Peace Prize (thehindu)

The 16-year-old Indian activist based in the U.A.E. isthefounder of Green Hope


A 16-year-old Indian environmental activist based in the U.A.E has won this year’s prestigious International Children’s Peace Prize for her fight for climate justice and combating environmental degradation.

Kehkashan Basu was presented the award by Bangladesh’s Nobel peace laureate Mohammad Yunus at a ceremony in The Hague.

‘Great achievement’


Mr. Yunus, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his efforts for economic and social development, underlined the urgency and importance of Kehkashan’s work, as more than three million children under the age of five die every year from environment-related diseases and many more suffer deeply from environmental issues.

“It is a great achievement for such a young person to already have such reach and impact with her important message,” Mr. Yunus said.

“A healthy environment is essential for the survival, well being and development of children, and therefore it is a precondition for the realisation of the rights of the child. Kehkashan teaches us that we all have a responsibility to work towards a sustainable future,” he said.

After receiving the prize, Kehkashan said she would “keep campaigning to encourage children and adults to create a more sustainable future. I call upon everyone to think of how they can contribute to the preservation of the environment...Time is not on our side — we have to act now, or we will have polar bears under palm trees,” she said.

First tree

When Kehkashan was eight, she started educating neighbours on the importance of saving the environment. She planted her first tree and brought together children to collect and recycle waste, according to KidsRights Foundation that has instituted the award.

She founded her organisation Green Hope at the age of 12, through which she has initiated countless clean-up operations and awareness campaigns. She then became the youngest ever Global Coordinator for the Major Group for Children and Youth of the United Nations Environmental Programme.

Kehkashan was nominated for the Children’s Peace Prize by her father and was selected for the award from among 120 nominees from 49 countries. The International Children’s Peace Prize is an initiative of Marc Dullaert, Chairman and Founder of the Dutch KidsRights Foundation, and is awarded annually to a child, anywhere in the world, for his or her dedication to children’s rights. — PTI