The South Asian Climate Justice Fellowship and Camp 2025 is a dual component youth-led program. It is designed to empower South Asian youth to champion climate justice through a structured Fellowship (training and mentorship) and an immersive Camp (practical application and community impact).
Fellowship (May–August 2025):
- 55 participants, hybrid format
- Trains youth in climate advocacy, legal frameworks (including the ICJAO), food security and resilience
- 3-day residential event in Pokhara.
- Selects 25 top performing fellows and includes additional stakeholders.
- Focuses on field engagement, regional collaboration, and practical implementation.
The initiative centers marginalized communities and aims to foster a lasting youth led climate justice network across South Asia.
i. Climate Challenges in South Asia
South Asia, home to nearly a quarter of the world’s population, contributes only a small fraction to global carbon emissions. Yet, the region is facing some of the most severe and disproportionate consequences of climate change. From the rapidly melting Himalayan glaciers—projected to lose up to 75% of their ice by 2100 if emissions are not reduced (ICIMOD, 2023)—to intensifying cyclones in Bangladesh, erratic monsoons affecting agriculture across India and Pakistan, and rising sea levels threatening the very existence of the Maldives and inundating coastal Sri Lanka, the impacts are intensifying in both frequency and severity. These environmental shocks disproportionately affect vulnerable populations: over 60% of South Asians rely on agriculture for their livelihoods (FAO, 2021), and many of these are indigenous communities, women, and smallholder farmers whose lives are closely tied to fragile ecosystems and cultural heritage. Despite growing risks, limited financial, technical, and infrastructural capacities hinder the region’s ability to adapt and build resilience.
This disparity highlights a fundamental climate injustice: those least responsible for global greenhouse gas emissions are suffering the most. International climate agreements, such as the Paris Agreement, enshrine the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR), which obligates wealthier, high emission countries to provide climate finance and support to vulnerable nations. Yet, these promises remain largely unfulfilled. As a result, South Asian countries are left navigating a climate emergency with inadequate resources, escalating risks, and shrinking time. This not only threatens environmental and economic stability but also undermines basic human rights and the dignity of communities on the frontlines. Addressing this injustice requires urgent global accountability, equitable climate action, and solidarity with those most at risk.
ii. A Global Legal Push
The ICJ Advisory Opinion Recognizing the urgent need for legal clarity on state obligations, climate vulnerable nations, led by Vanuatu, pushed for an International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion (ICJAO) in March 2023. This youth driven campaign was supported by Nepal and other affected South Asian countries as well, aiming to hold high emission countries accountable for their inaction on climate change. It is a landmark legal tool that can shape future climate treaties, strengthen legal cases against polluters, and push for stronger climate policies worldwide.
Organizational Profiles
WYCJ Nepal is a youth-led network dedicated to climate justice through legal advocacy, grassroots action, and policy engagement. As Nepal’s chapter of the global WYCJ campaign, we mobilized support for the ICJAO on climate change and human rights, advocating for accountability from high emission states. With 80+ active members across Nepal, we work to amplify Nepal’s voice internationally while driving local action. We bridge global advocacy with on the ground solutions by empowering youth, Indigenous communities, and activists, ensuring climate justice reaches those most affected. To learn more about our previous works and movements, visit the  https://www.wy4cj.org/ website.
YASEN is a youth led, nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing critical social and environmental issues in Nepal. Officially registered on March 27, 2023, under the motto “Empowering the Younger Generation for a Sustainable Future,” YASEN seeks to cultivate youth leadership and promote environmental stewardship for lasting, positive change. The organization focuses on key thematic areas including community education and awareness, recycling and waste reduction, capacity building and training, climate action, women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship, loss and damage, sustainable agriculture, and disaster risk reduction.
The FLY is a nonprofit organization founded by law students and registered in Nepal in 2023 to bridge the gap between legal awareness and social progress. It unites law students nationwide, promotes legal literacy, and empowers individuals to understand their rights. Through advocacy, lobbying, and public interest initiatives, FLY works to influence policy and foster a more informed and just society.
Our Objectives
The South Asian Climate Justice Fellowship 2025 is designed to empower and mobilize young leaders aged 1829 from South Asia to champion climate justice by fostering a dynamic linkage between global climate advocacy and localized, grassroots action. Over a three-month hybrid program, the fellowship aims to achieve this by providing virtual and in-person training, mentorship, and peer collaboration opportunities to enhance participants’ expertise in climate justice, environmental governance, policy advocacy, climate finance, resilience building, and addressing loss and damage.
Key objectives include raising awareness among youth, indigenous groups, and policymakers about climate justice principles, human rights, and international legal frameworks; amplifying the voices and knowledge of indigenous and marginalized communities to ensure their active participation in climate solutions; translating the outcomes of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion, expected in August 2025, into actionable policies and increased climate finance accountability in Nepal and South Asia; and strengthening grassroots movements through capacity-building in advocacy, legal tools, and community resilience. By nurturing leadership, fostering regional collaboration, and prioritizing inclusive representation, particularly from grassroots activists and marginalized groups, the fellowship aspires to cultivate a generation of climate advocates equipped to drive systemic change and build a just, equitable, and sustainable future for South Asia and beyond.
Expected Outcomes
- Empowered Agents of Change:
50+ trained fellows and 40+ engaged youth leaders from across the region
- Regional Solidarity:
Establishment of a sustained South Asian Youth Climate Justice Network
- Policy Impact:
National advocacy campaigns post-ICJAO leveraging international legal mandates
- Local Action:
At least 25 community-based impact projects designed during the Fellowship
- Global Visibility:
Over 100 media mentions and 100,000+ impressions across platforms
- Sustainability:
Framework for future fellowships and annual Climate Justice Camps
