Kehkashan Basu Biography

Kehkashan Basu M.S.M. is a renowned environmental and human rights advocate who operates at a global level. She started her environmental work when she was eight years old by planting trees on World Environment Day and establishing a youth-led environmental movement. At the age of 12 she became the youngest Global Coordinator for Children & Youth under the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) before establishing the Green Hope Foundation in 2012 to support youth-led grassroots activities that align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Green Hope operates in more than 25 nations while working with hundreds of thousands of young people especially girls from disadvantaged backgrounds through tree planting activities and clean-up events and educational workshops and environmental academies. Basu has spoken at more than 500 UN events and international conferences to promote climate justice and gender equality and peace and nuclear disarmament and children's rights across the globe.

Throughout her career she received numerous awards including the 2016 International Children’s Peace Prize and the first Voices Youth Gorbachev‑Schultz Legacy Award and the Canada Meritorious Service Medal in 2022 and Forbes 30 Under 30 Education recognition in 2021 and National Geographic Young Explorer status and UN Human Rights Champion designation and L’Oréal Women of Worth Honoree recognition.

Basu holds the distinction of being the youngest member of the Parliament of the World’s Religions Trustee board while serving as a Councillor at the World Future Council and leading the UN Women “Feminist Action for Climate Justice” coalition and participating in the World Humanitarian Forum Youth Council. She graduated with Honours from the University of Toronto Environmental Studies program and earned her MBA from Cornell University’s Johnson School.

Through her book The Tree of Hope and her diverse advocacy work Basu motivates young people worldwide to create substantial environmental changes that lead to a sustainable equitable future.

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