Nisreen Elsaim
Nisreen Elsaim | |
|---|---|
نسرين الصائم | |
Nisreen Elsaim in 2022 | |
| Born | |
| Alma mater | University of Khartoum, Sudan |
| Occupation | Climate activist |
| Years active | 2012-present |
| Movement | Sudan Youth for Climate Change |
Nisreen Elsaim (Arabic: نسرين الصائم) is a Sudanese climate activist and climate negotiator.
Early life and education
Elsaim was born in Sudan and was raised in Khartoum. As a child, Elsaim interacted with nature frequently, often playing on the riverbanks of the White Nile and the Blue Nile, which meet in Khartoum.[1]
Elsaim holds a bachelor's degree in physics and a master's degree in renewable energy technology from the University of Khartoum.[2][3]
Career
In 2012,[4] due to protests during her first year at the University of Khartoum, the government shut down the school for three and a half months. During this time away from classes, Elsaim became interested in science diplomacy and began volunteering at the Sudanese Environment Conservation Society.[1][5]
In 2016, she founded the Sudan Youth Organisation for Climate Change (SYOCC).[5] She remained its Chair until 2021.[6]
By 2018, Elsaim was involved with the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance, and was working as a junior negotiator with the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN).[5]
In 2019, she attended the Abu Dhabi Youth Voices conference. After the conference, she was invited to co-organize the 2019 United Nations Youth Climate Summit.[5][7]
Elsaim was the chair of the United Nations' first Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change from 2020 to 2022, organized by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, after a nomination by the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance.[2][8] Speaking on the experience in 2023, she noted that although she felt the advisory group "changed the culture around youth engagement," she also found it frustrating "to follow UN protocols rather than work as independent activists".[5]
Recognition and awards
Elsaim was awarded a fellowship at the Robert Bosch Academy in Germany until November 2024.[9][10]
Awards include:
- 2023 Young Activists Summit[11]
- June 2024 Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Prize finalist; organized by the Kofi Annan Foundation and the Democracy and Culture Foundation.[12]
Personal life
Elsaim participated in the Sudanese revolution in 2018 and 2019.[13]
A month after the Sudanese civil war began in April 2023, Elsaim and her family, including her husband and nine-month-old son, had to flee Sudan for their safety.[14] Her brother-in-law, who stayed behind, died shortly after.[9] She has since returned to the country briefly, but not to Khartoum.[1][10]
Since the onset of the Sudanese civil war, she has lived in London, Paris, Florence,[15] and Berlin.[9]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Elsaim, Nisreen. "I Am A Climate Diplomat and Here Is Why I Think The Climate Emergency Needs Scientific Solutions". Global Citizen. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ a b "Sudanese Appointed Chairperson Of UN Advisory Group| Sudanow Magazine". sudanow-magazine.net. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
- ^ "JWH Initiative". JWHinitiative. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
- ^ Blazhevska, Vesna. "Young leaders tapped to invigorate UN's climate action plans, hold leaders to account". United Nations Sustainable Development. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Shipton, Emily (2023). "Sudanese climate activist Nisreen Elsaim: a voice for the world's young people". CIWEM. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ "Nisreen Elsaim". World Economic Forum. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ "#YouthParticipation: Nisreen Elsaim, on her journey to becoming a UN Youth Climate". www.fes-connect.org. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
- ^ Nations, United. "The Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change - 2020". United Nations. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ^ a b c "'Climate change won't wait until the war is over' | akzente". akzente.giz.de. 18 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ^ a b Rehse-Knauf, Luca (7 November 2024). "An activist in Sudan engaged in climate, peace and security". www.deutschland.de. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ Incari, Sarah (27 November 2023). "Awards for 5 young activists in presence of Prince Albert II". Monaco Tribune. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ "The Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Prize 2024 Finalists!". Kofi Annan Foundation. 1 August 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ "'Climate change should be prioritized in Sudan', Nisreen Elsaim urges ahead of COP27". AfricaNews. 20 October 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ "At UN climate talks, some see wars complicating negotiators' task". Pique Newsmagazine. Associated Press. 15 November 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ Nilsson-Julien, Estelle. "Meet the young climate activists who fled war and death threats". Euro News. Retrieved 6 January 2025.