Barbadian youth leader Ashley Lashley appointed to UN Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has announced the appointment of fourteen young climate leaders to the third cohort of his Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change, including Ashley Lashley of Barbados, a passionate advocate for climate, health, and youth empowerment.

The Youth Advisory Group provides the Secretary-General with practical and outcome-focused advice, diverse youth perspectives, and concrete recommendations to accelerate global climate action. This year’s announcement, made on International Youth Day, comes at a critical moment marking the tenth anniversary of the Paris Agreement and a year when all countries must submit new national climate plans aligned with the 1.5°C target.

Ms. Lashley is well known across the Eastern Caribbean for her leadership in climate advocacy. As a UNICEF Youth Advocate, CARICOM Youth Ambassador, and former Miss World Barbados, she has dedicated her life to addressing pressing global challenges. At just 16, she founded Schools Against Non-Communicable Diseases and later launched the HEY Campaign, mobilizing more than 500 climate activists worldwide. Through The Ashley Lashley Foundation, she has built the world’s largest youth-led movement focused on the intersection of climate and health, and created Eco Fit Youth, a Caribbean initiative promoting the 5Rs: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and repurpose through wellness and fitness activities for children.

“To serve in this role is to carry the Caribbean’s cry for climate justice and to hold the world accountable for the debt it owes to SIDS,” Lashley said. “The Caribbean is on the frontlines of the climate crisis, and this is an opportunity to ensure our voices shape global solutions.”

Recognising the urgent need for inclusive climate leadership, the Secretary-General expanded this year’s group from seven to fourteen members to reflect diverse identities, experiences, and expertise from all regions. Other members appointed to the 2025–2027 Youth Advisory Group include:

• Angela Busheska (North Macedonia), climate-tech innovator and AI researcher

• Axel Eriksson (Sweden), climate educator and negotiator trainer

• Charitie Ropati (United States), Indigenous climate justice advocate and water engineer

• Farzana Faruk Jhumu (Bangladesh), climate justice activist and former UNICEF Youth Advocate

• Jabri Ibrahim (Kenya), climate and energy policy expert

• Kantuta Diana Conde (Bolivia), Indigenous rights advocate

• Lena Goings (United States), environmental justice activist

• Marcel Bodewig (Germany), climate and human rights advocate

• Okalani Mariner (Samoa), Pacific climate activist and creative entrepreneur

• Sibusiso Mazomba (South Africa), climate justice activist and researcher

• Txai Surui (Brazil), Indigenous youth leader and activist

• Zagy Berian (Indonesia), youth sustainability leader

• Zuzanna Borowska (Poland), climate advocate and dialogue facilitator

The Youth Advisory Group, established in 2020, serves as a bridge between the UN’s leadership and the world’s youth, ensuring that global climate policy is informed by diverse voices, particularly from those most affected. Members are expected to consult widely across youth networks and bring outside perspectives into their advice to the Secretary-General.

SOURCE: UN