Julius Mbatia
Kenya
Julius is a natural, strong-willed leader who is passionate about climate justice, conservation and youth engagement. Heavily involved in environmental youth networks from a young age, he has since represented the Kenyan youth in various national, regional and international climate change fora, and is currently the Coordinator of Youth for Sustainable Development Goals Kenya ( Youth4SDGs KE), a member of the Kenya Youth Climate Network and YOUNGO Climate Finance Group. He has also developed and engaged in numerous climate advocacy campaigns such as the Clean Energy Now youth campaign, the COP 21 ‘Road to COP Africa’ campaign, the ’Adopt a Tree’ campaign and has facilitated youth input to key national policies such as more recently, the National Climate Change Action Plan formulation.
He has engaged with Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), a continental coalition of over 1500 CSOs from throughout the African continent working for climate justice. Forever eager to take on responsibility, he coordinated the development and implementation of a programme seeking to enhance pastoralist CSOs’ engagement in policy work to support building resilience of pastoral livelihoods, in addition to coordinating the organization’s climate finance work, representing African CSOs in numerous Green Climate Fund (GCF) meetings in South Korea and Egypt. He has taken further his key interest in climate finance to work within the Adaptation Consortium in developing local level climate finance mechanisms, particularly County Climate Change Fund that facilitate communities access climate finance for resilience building.
Julius used the JWHI grant money to fund his Masters degree in Environmental Planning and Management at the University of Nairobi, with which he hopes to enhance his knowledge and research and analysis skills with regard to environmental projects. He will use the opportunity to also participate in the university’s Environment Students Club and put his new skills into practice.
