Eco-activist Kehkashan, 14, shows age is no barrier in UN

The 14-year-old Indian took part in a high level meeting on sustainable development in New York earlier this month along with politicians and diplomats from 193 countries.

Rubbing shoulders with bigwigs from the United Nations and discussing environmental issues that affect the entire world is second nature to 14-year-old eco-activist Kehkashan Basu.

The Indian girl took part in a high-level meeting on sustainable development in New York earlier this month along with politicians and diplomats from 193 countries.

“To meet and engage with such a diverse global community all under one roof is an experience of a lifetime,” said Kehkashan, a Year 9 student at the Deira International School in Dubai.

The meeting, which was attended by other young environmental activists, discussed the UN’s Millennium Development Goals, eight objectives for the world that were agreed by governments in 2000 and are set to expire next year.

The global community is currently agreeing the sustainable development objectives for the period after 2015.

“The meetings I attended strategised on the sustainable development agenda for the future and the outcomes will have a huge impact on our lives, across the world,” said Kehkashan, adding her young age was not a barrier to participating.

“My greatest learning was that age is not a barrier to participation or to make a difference. Even though I was 14, I was treated on par with everyone else based solely on my knowledge and passion for the environment,” she said. “Every person has the capability to contribute to the well-being of civil society irrespective of age, ethnicity or gender – we must do our bit and not wait for others.”

In all, Kehkashan took part in four events during her trip to the UN HQ, which was her second visit after attending the UN Youth Assembly, a gathering of more than 1,000 activists, last year.

The founder of Green Hope UAE, a local youth environmental organisation, she was elected in February 2013 to be global coordinator of children and youth at the United Nations Environment Programme. She regularly attends the organisation’s meetings at its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.

She plans to share the outcome of the UN meetings with the organisation’s members.

Kehkashan has won numerous awards for her educational achievements as well as her environmental activism.

She also plays the piano and gave a performance at the United Nations Youth Assembly last year. Her plans for the future are no less ambitious.

“I plan to go to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US to study quantum physics and try to harness the power of the atom to deliver clean, renewable energy,” she said. “Thereafter I also want to do a post graduate degree in Harvard.”