From Stories to Solutions: Global Youth Driving Change in Human Rights and Climate Action
by Neda Fletcher and John Kramkowski
On October 2, 2025, youth leaders and advocates from across the globe gathered for the Global Summit on Youth, Human Rights & Climate Action, an event held in partnrship with the University of Arizona’s Human Rights Practice Program and the Miner Anderson Family Foundation. Together, they explored the intersections of human rights and climate change, two of the most pressing issues of our time, through powerful storytelling, critical dialogue, and creative strategy.
Youth groups and representatives from Bangladesh, Tanzania, Myanmar, India, and the United States came together to share lived experiences and local insights. Their diverse backgrounds underscored the global reach of the crises at hand and the shared conviction that human rights and climate justice must be pursued together.
The summit featured three keynote speakers whose perspectives highlighted both the scope and human impact of these interconnected challenges.
Ion Vlad, Director of the Miner Anderson Family Foundation and faculty member at the University of San Francisco, opened the event with a message of urgency and purpose. With a Ph.D. and a career dedicated to advancing human rights, he encouraged participants to see advocacy not as a distant goal but as a present responsibility. Dr. Vlad also taught a course on human rights education at the University of Arizona this fall.
Rafiqul Montu, a journalist, photojournalist, and climate activist from Bangladesh, followed with compelling accounts from the frontlines of climate change. Speaking through an interpreter, he described the realities of climate displacement in coastal communities and how his work in journalism doubles as a form of advocacy, bringing underreported stories into public view. His message emphasized that even in the face of loss, communities remain resilient.
Mrinalini Rai, Founder and Director of Women4Biodiversity, closed the keynote session with a powerful call to action: uplift the voices of women, girls, and Indigenous peoples in climate policy. Drawing from her work with the United Nations and global networks, she highlighted how young people are bridging scientific knowledge and ancestral traditions. Her message was clear: safeguarding the planet requires recognizing and supporting those who have protected it for generations.
The summit’s discussions were filled with thoughtful questions and reflections from youth participants, who brought both urgency and optimism to the table. Their engagement centered on how to move from awareness to action and how to create solidarity across borders.
To carry that momentum forward, summit organizers launched a post-summit competition inviting youth participants to create original human rights stories and educational materials inspired by the event. These projects, whether in the form of written stories, short videos, or infographics, will reflect not only shared global concerns but also region-specific challenges and innovations. The goal is to showcase how young people are interpreting and addressing the human rights dimensions of climate change in ways that speak directly to their own communities.
This summit is the first in a two-part global conference series. The second event is scheduled to take place in the first part of 2026, building on the conversations, partnerships, and youth-led strategies launched this year.
As the competition unfolds, readers are encouraged to follow along and celebrate the work of these youth leaders as they turn inspiration into impact. The summit’s partners and collaborators remain committed to supporting youth-led collaboration in human rights and climate action, ensuring that these stories continue to find their place on the global stage.
About the Authors: Neda Fletcher and John Kramkowski are graduate students in the Human Rights Practice Master’s Program at the University of Arizona. Their work focuses on advancing human rights through education, advocacy, and community engagement. Both will graduate in December 2025.