Canadian environmental and human rights activist
Kehkashan Basu
MSM
[4]
[5] (born June 5, 2000)
[6]
[7] is a Canadian environmental and human rights activist
[8]
[9] from the
United Arab Emirates .
[1]
[10]
[11] Basu also advocates for peace, children’s rights, education for sustainable development, nuclear disarmament, gender equality and
climate justice .
[12]
[13] She is the Founder-President of Green Hope Foundation,
[14] the youngest Councillor of World Future Council,
[15] the youngest Trustee of the Parliament of the World's Religions,
[16] a
KidsRights Youngsters member, and winner of the
International Children's Peace Prize 2016.
[17]
Biography
Kehkashan was born on June 5, 2000 in Dubai to Indian parents from
Kolkata .
[18]
[19]
[20] At age 8, she was planting trees and organizing young people to
recycle . At age 11, she addressed the TUNZA Children and Youth Conference in Indonesia, and the next year she set a record as the youngest delegate to speak at a
press conference at the
United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20).
[7]
She founded the Green Hope Foundation in 2012, with the goal of teaching and implementing the UN's
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including through
grassroots action such as
tree planting .
[2]
[21]
[22] The organization also involves young people globally in the SDGs through community-focused projects in climate justice,
[23] halting land degradation, promoting sustainable consumption and renewable energy, and conserving biodiversity, as well as gender equality and social justice. Currently with more than 3000 members in total, across
Canada ,
Suriname ,
United Arab Emirates ,
Oman ,
Qatar ,
Bahrain ,
United States ,
Indonesia ,
Malaysia ,
Cambodia ,
Australia ,
Kenya ,
The Bahamas ,
Chile ,
Vietnam ,
Seychelles ,
Sweden ,
The Netherlands ,
Democratic Republic of the Congo ,
Peru ,
Sri Lanka ,
India ,
Nepal ,
Bangladesh ,
Kiribati and
Liberia , the organization works by conducting workshops and conferences around the implementation of the SDGs.
[14]
[24]
Basu attended the Deira International School in Dubai and graduated from the
North Toronto Collegiate Institute in Toronto, Canada.
[20]
[25] In June 2022, she graduated from the
University of Toronto with an Honours
Bachelor of Arts with High Distinction, where she majored in
environmental studies , double-minoring in
women and gender studies and
physical and environmental geography .
[26]
[27]
[28] Basu is currently an
MBA student at the
Cornell University
Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management .
[29]
In 2017, she published the short story book "The Tree of Hope", in collaboration with the illustrator Karen Webb-Meek.
[13]
[30] In the book, a young girl creates an
oasis in a desert by planting trees and persuading friends to help.
[7]
In 2021, Basu was a keynote speaker at the first annual Peace Education Day Conference, held virtually.
[31]
In 2022, Basu moderated a roundtable meeting at the United Nations' Conference of the Parties (
COP27 ) summit.
[32] The panel included international environmental policy-makers such as
Susana Muhamad .
Basu spoke on Desertification and Drought Day in 2023 in an event titled "Her Land. Her Rights: Advancing Gender Equality and Land Restoration Goals at the United Nations Headquarters.
[33] The event brought together leaders and gender equality activists to discuss how to advance women's leadership and decision-making in sustainable development. Other speakers included
António Guterres ,
Amina J. Mohammed ,
Csaba Kőrösi ,
Katrin Jakobsdóttir ,
Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila ,
Teresa Ribera Rodríguez ,
Tarja Halonen ,
Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim ,
Sonia Guajara , Jennifer Littlejohn,
Sima Sami Bahous ,
Ibrahim Thiaw ,
Natalia Kanem , Alain-Richard Donwahi,
Achim Steinier ,
Qu Dongyu , Solange Bandiaky-Badji, Rex Molapo, and
Lukwesa Barak .
[34]
Awards and recognition
References
^
a
b
c
d
"Kehkashan Basu, Environmental and child rights activist, United Arab Emirates" . www.standup4humanrights.org .
Archived from the original on 2021-05-07. Retrieved 2021-03-31 .
^
a
b
c
"Kehkashan Basu" . Forbes .
Archived from the original on 30 March 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-30 .
^ Friedlander, Blaine.
"Student prods COP27 to include youth in climate solutions" . Cornell Chronicle . Cornell University.
^
a
b Government of Canada, Public Works and Government Services Canada (2022-01-29).
"Canada Gazette, Part 1, Volume 156, Number 5: GOVERNMENT HOUSE" . www.gazette.gc.ca . Retrieved 2022-01-29 .
^
a
b General, Office of the Secretary to the Governor.
"Ms. Kehkashan Basu" . The Governor General of Canada . Retrieved 2022-01-29 .
^
"Kehkashan Basu" . World Future Council .
Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 2021-03-29 .
^
a
b
c
d
"2016 - Kehkashan Basu (16), UAE" . KidsRights Foundation .
Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-29 .
^ Jingco, Kaitlin (16 November 2017).
"Environmental champion Kehkashan Basu brings hope" . Canadian Immigrant .
^
"Kehkashan Basu is one of Canada's two young representatives who attended the pre-COP youth event in September and she tells CBC News Network about what she hopes comes from COP26" . CBC . Retrieved 1 November 2021 .
^
"Kehkashan Basu" . Varkey Foundation . Retrieved 2022-01-19 . [
permanent dead link ]
^
a
b Harris, Teresa.
"Top 25 Women of Influence 2018: Kehkashan Basu – Women of Influence" .
Archived from the original on 2021-06-15. Retrieved 2022-01-19 .
^
"I am Generation Equality: Kehkashan Basu, feminist youth leader and environmentalist from the UAE" . UN Women – Arab States . 10 August 2021.
Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021 .
^
a
b
"Kehkashan Basu - Green Hope Foundation" . One Girl . 2019-01-12.
Archived from the original on 2021-03-30. Retrieved 2021-03-30 .
^
a
b
"GreenHopeFoundation – The Future belongs to us!" .
Archived from the original on 2022-01-05. Retrieved 2022-01-06 .
^
"Kehkashan Basu" . MESIA .
Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021 .
^
"Board of Trustees | Parliament of the World's Religions" . parliamentofreligions.org .
Archived from the original on 2022-01-06. Retrieved 2022-01-06 .
^ Nianias, Helen (15 December 2016).
"Dubai's teen eco-warrior: 'It was preordained that I'd take care of mother earth' " . The Guardian .
Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021 .
^
"Kehkashan Basu, UAE-based Indian teen, wins Children's Peace Prize" . The Hindu . 3 December 2016.
^ Ghose, Chandreyee (7 November 2013).
"Teen with city roots shines at UN" . The Telegraph .
^
a
b
"Kehkashan Basu's Story | UNCCD" . United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification .
Archived from the original on 13 August 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2021 .
^ Rodrigues, Janice (19 October 2021).
"Meet the UAE's young eco-warriors fighting for a better tomorrow" . The National News .
Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021 .
^
"Kehkashan Basu – Emirates Woman" . Emirates Woman .
Archived from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2021 .
^
"Kehkashan Basu, Founder, Green Hope Foundation" . Women in Renewable Energy .
Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021 .
^
"Kehkashan Basu" . NAAEE . 15 August 2018.
Archived from the original on 26 July 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2021 .
^ Toronto, Nikki Gill for Streets Of (2019-10-23).
"How a Toronto student became an eco-warrior on the world stage" . Streets Of Toronto . Retrieved 2022-06-25 .
^ Adams, Susan.
"From Climate Change To Chronic Truancy, Forbes' 30 Under 30 In Education Are Tackling Some Of The World's Toughest Problems" . Forbes .
Archived from the original on 2021-05-01. Retrieved 2021-03-31 .
^
" 'Always dare to dream,' says U of T grad Kehkashan Basu, who started an environmental non-profit at age 12" . University of Toronto News . Retrieved 2022-06-25 .
^ Chin, Amanda (1 January 2021).
"Kehkashan Basu: Awards, goals and how it all began with a dead bird" . Study International .
Archived from the original on 2021-04-15. Retrieved 2021-03-31 .
^
"Student prods COP27 to include youth in climate solutions" . Cornell Chronicle . Retrieved 2022-11-18 .
^ Basu, Kehkashan (2017).
The Tree of Hope (PDF) . Illustrated by Karen Webb-Meek. Berkshire, United Kingdom: The Voices of Future Generations International Children's Book Series.
ISBN
978-0956995520 .
Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-04-10. Retrieved 2021-03-30 .
^
"Peace Education Day Conference Speakers" . Peace Education Day .
Archived from the original on 2022-03-09. Retrieved 2022-04-09 .
^
"Student prods COP27 to include youth in climate solutions | Cornell Chronicle" . news.cornell.edu . Retrieved 2024-02-20 .
^
"Desertification and Drought Day 2023 global observance" . UNCCD . Retrieved 2024-02-27 .
^
"Desertification and Drought Day 2023 global observance" . UNCCD . Retrieved 2024-02-27 .
^ Phillips, Vicki (2020-07-14).
"#GenGeo: Introducing our spring 2020 National Geographic Young Explorers" . National Geographic Education Blog .
Archived from the original on 2021-04-11. Retrieved 2021-03-31 .
^
"Youth Fusion wins the Gorbachev/Shultz Legacy Youth Award" . Basel Peace Office . Retrieved February 20, 2024 .
^
"Kehkashan Basu" . Forbes .
Archived from the original on 2022-01-19. Retrieved 2022-01-06 .
^
"World Literacy Awards - World Literacy Foundation" . worldliteracyfoundation.org . 2021-09-07.
Archived from the original on 2022-01-06. Retrieved 2022-01-06 .
External links