Jannatul Naeem to take coastal communities’ voices to Global Climate Summit

Jannatul S M Naeem, a young climate activist from the coastal Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira district in southwestern Bangladesh, has secured an opportunity to represent Bangladeshi youth at the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Naeem, a 2026 Youth Fellow of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD), secured second place in the final selection after a rigorous, multi-stage assessment process. His achievement offers an important opportunity to bring the climate challenges and lived experiences of communities in Bangladesh’s vulnerable southwestern coastal region to the international climate dialogue.

He was selected through an extensive and competitive process under the ICCCAD-IUB CAP-RES project. Of the young people who applied from across Bangladesh, 30 were initially selected as Youth Fellows for the 2026 cohort. Throughout the year, they took part in various activities, training programmes and several rounds of assessment. Seven candidates were subsequently shortlisted for the final round.

In the concluding assessment, ICCCAD-IUB officials and representatives joining online from Bangladesh and abroad conducted an overall evaluation, selecting two finalists. Naeem secured second place, earning the opportunity to participate in COP31.

The COP31 climate summit is scheduled to take place in Antalya, Türkiye, in November. It will bring together heads of state and government, policymakers, climate scientists, environmentalists, development practitioners and youth representatives from around the world. Key issues expected to feature on the agenda include climate adaptation, climate finance, loss and damage, and strategies to address the growing impacts of climate change.

Naeem serves as the general secretary of the Shyamnagar Upazila Volunteer Association. Since early 2026, he has also been working as a community facilitator at BARCIK, an award-winning research-based non-governmental organisation in Bangladesh and a recipient of the National Environment Award. He is also the executive director of SHARUB, an environmental youth volunteer organisation.

For years, he has been involved in environmental conservation, climate justice initiatives, youth mobilisation and community awareness programmes. His work focuses on addressing local environmental challenges and strengthening youth leadership in climate-vulnerable communities.

The impacts of climate change are increasingly visible across Shyamnagar and the wider coastal belt adjoining the Sundarbans in Satkhira. Tropical cyclones, storm surges, riverbank erosion, rising soil and water salinity, prolonged waterlogging and acute shortages of safe drinking water are placing enormous pressure on local communities and their livelihoods.

These challenges are affecting agriculture, fisheries, biodiversity and fragile coastal ecosystems. Women, children, farmers, fishers and other marginalised groups are particularly vulnerable, often bearing the heaviest burden of environmental and climate-related disruptions.

Drawing on his experience of growing up in the coastal region and working directly with local communities, Naeem believes that the voices and lived realities of vulnerable populations must be meaningfully represented in international climate negotiations. Although coastal communities in Bangladesh have contributed relatively little to global greenhouse gas emissions, they are among those facing some of the most severe consequences of climate change. Strengthening their capacity to adapt, ensuring access to safe drinking water and creating sustainable livelihood opportunities remain major challenges.

At COP31, Naeem hopes to highlight the importance of climate adaptation, addressing loss and damage, equitable climate finance, nature-based solutions and the rights of coastal communities. He also aims to emphasise the need for adequate financial support for climate-vulnerable populations, stronger locally led adaptation initiatives and meaningful participation by affected communities in decision-making processes.

Alongside his participation in the conference, Naeem hopes to bring the field-level experiences of Satkhira’s coastal communities, local adaptation practices and the realities of climate-affected populations into international discussions. After the summit, he plans to share the knowledge and experience he gains with young people in the region and contribute to strengthening grassroots climate action and environmental advocacy.

Naeem’s achievement represents not only a personal milestone but also a source of inspiration for young people across Satkhira’s coastal communities. His participation in COP31 is expected to provide an opportunity to amplify the voices of people living on the frontlines of climate change and draw international attention to the challenges they face.