Zuhair Ahmed Kowshik

Zuhair is a born leader who has won many accolades for his work in Bangladesh that inspire youth to take up the mantle to rectify the many harmful environmental conditions that prevail in the country. Zuhair has extensive contacts and is an expert in networking. He served as the Regional Facilitator for the Asia Pacific at Children and Youth Constituency of UN Environment Programme, where he led the first-ever Asia-Pacific Regional Youth Environment Forum, supported by the UNEP and Republic of Korea. He was also selected to present the outcomes and recommendations from the Asia-Pacific Youth Forum to the Fourth Forum of Ministers and environment authorities of Asia Pacific. In Bangladesh, he was instrumental in getting over 40 prominent organisations to come forward and support multiple programmes that he organised focused on environmental concerns. The organisations represented universities, public institutions, international and national NGOs, social and cultural wings of diplomatic missions, corporates, and youth associations. Zuhair successfully conducted the “Dhaka Climate Talk”, a multi-stakeholder dialogue held as a pre-COP (UNFCCC Conference of Parties) dialogue. Zuhair conceptualised and implemented other noteworthy initiatives across Bangladesh, like the “Green Entrepreneurship Development Training” programme, conducted in association with Oxfam. He led “Climate Literacy Online Workshops” to help youth in Bangladesh better understand climate change and environmental issues. For this, to date, he has trained over 2000 youths. Zuhair’s Campus Ambassadors initiative has youth lead environment initiatives in over 40 universities of Bangladesh. Zuhair’s tireless social and environmental work was recognised with the “Hanyang (South Korea) Youth Changemaker Award” in 2017 and ‘Joy Bangla Youth Award’ in 2020.