Wikipedia:Esther Agbarakwe

Esther Kelechi Agbarakwe (born on the 21st of April 1984) ,is a Nigerian Climate Change activist. She is also known as “Estherclimate”. She was raised in Calabar and holds a B.Sc (Hons) in Chemistry Education from the University of Calabar. She is a vegetarian and she is very passionate about the environment and the role the people can play toward environmentally sustainable growth. She has been to over twelve countries and am very inspired by the Earth Charter, which is a set of values and principles to promote sustainable development with “Care for the Community of Life” as my watch word. She won the LEAP Africa 7th Annual Nigerian Youth Leadership Awards in 2010. Esther has over eight years of experience working on sexuality and environmental issues.

Esther is a climate change policy expert and trainer with extensive experience in creating, facilitating and managing youth-led projects. Esther has represented Nigeria and Africa at over ten high-level global governance meetings on sustainable development and has served as the African coordinator of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) Youth and Children Major Group.

In 2009, Esther co-founded the Nigerian Youth Climate Coalition, the biggest youth climate movement in Nigeria. Esther also serves as a volunteer support staff member with the White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria and convened the first Youth E-consultation on Maternal New Born and Child Health (MNCH). She was selected as ‘Women Deliver 100 Young Leaders’ for her strong interest in women’s issues and was invited to attend the “Women Deliver” Global Conference in DC in June 2010. Esther is the recipient of the 2010 LEAP Africa Annual Nigerian Youth Leadership Award and is a Dekeyser & Friends Foundation Fellow and Commonwealth Youth Climate Fellow.

Education
Agbarakwe received her Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry from the University of Calabar. She is currently concluding a Master's programme in Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at the Robert Gordon University.

Career
Esther Kelechi Agbarakwe has been to over twelve countries across the globe talking about climate change and actively discussing policy issues around a theme that is one of the most vital concerns of the 21st century. A 2009 Dekeyser & Friends Foundation Fellow, her work on educating school children and other young people across the country about their role in global warming and environmental sustainability won her an award at the 7th LEAP Africa Annual Nigerian Youth Leadership Award in 2010. In her interview with BN Editorial Assistant, Gbenga Awomodu, she shares about her journey to environmental activism, why Nigeria has to pass the climate change Bill, and her aspirations.

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 united nation international children's emergency fund UNICEF), a 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 Current President of Nigeria(Muhammadu Buhari)where they made a case for the value young people are bringing to the conversation.