| Intro | Nigerian climate change activist | ||
| Is | Activist | ||
| From | Nigeria | ||
| Type | Activism | ||
| Gender | female | ||
| Birth | 21 July 1985 | ||
| Age: | 35 years | ||
| Star sign | Cancer | ||
| Education |
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Esther Kelechi Agbarakwe is a Nigerian Climate Change activist notable for winning the LEAP Africa 7th Annual Nigerian Youth Leadership Awards in 2010.
Education
Agbarakwe studied Chemistry Education at the University of Calabar. She is currently concluding a Master’s programme in Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at the Robert Gordon University.
Career
Agbarakwe founded the Nigerian Youth Climate Coalition and co-founded the International Climate Change Development Initiative (ICCDI. She also served as the youngest chair person for the General Assembly of ActionAid Nigeria. She was one of the four Youngers selected to join the Elders+Youngers debate ahead of the Rio+20 summit. She has served as an international advocacy fellow at Population Action International. Agbarakwe participated in the Ministerial meeting of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development. She has served as an Adviser to Amina J. Mohammed in 2015 while she was the Nigerian Cabinet Minister of Environment. Agbarakwe currently works in the Climate and SDG Action team in the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth.
Awards
In 2009, Agbarakwe was awarded the Dekeyser & Friends Foundation Leadership Award in Germany. In 2010, Agbarakwe won the LEAP Africa 7th Annual Nigerian Youth Leadership Awards. She was selected as a 2010 Women Deliver 100 Young Leaders and became a Commonwealth Youth Climate Fellow in November 2010. Agbarakwe was nominated in The Future Awards category for Best Use of Advocacy for 2011/2012 and became an Atlas Corps Fellow in September 2012. In 2017 in Barcelona, Agbarakwe was awarded the Crans Montana Forum of New Leaders of Tomorrow Award for her numerous achievements in leadership and governance.
Climate Change Activism
In 2012, Agbarakwe participated in the UNICEF supported debate on Climate Change where she advocated for the right of young people to lend their voice to the conversation. In 2015, she joined the Guardian conversation on ways to powerfully communicate climate change solutions. On the sidelines of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Agbarakwe alongside other Nigeria Climate Change Activists like Hamzat Lawal, met with the Nigeria President, Muhammadu Buhari where they made a case for the value young people are bringing to the conversation.