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Young changemakers challenge conventional understanding of the circular economy and explore the changes needed for a just future.
Young people play a critical role in driving the transition to a just circular economy. This session will explore the future of the circular economy through the eyes of young leaders. A diverse range of voices challenge the way we currently understand the circular economy and share their perspectives on a circular future centred around social, cultural and environmental justice. Through this exploration, the session identifies the avenues for meaningful change and broadens the horizon on what an inclusive, equitable and sustainable future may entail.
Reflections from the day
Nadia Gullestrup Christensen
EU Youth Delegate to the UN
EU mission to the UN
Nadia Gullestrup Christensen is one of the two first European Union’s youth delegates to the United Nations for the UNGA 77th session. She is also chair of the Danish Youth Climate Council, giving recommendations to the minister of climate and energy of Denmark. As an EU youth delegate, Nadia will focus on creating partnerships across generations and between civil society and the private sector. In the council, Nadia works with the other members to create a global alliance of youth climate councils, as well as local youth climate councils in Denmark. Previously, she has been a Danish youth delegate to the UN for climate and environment – in this capacity she has participated in conferences like the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow (UK), COP27 in Sharm-el-Sheikh (Egypt) and the UN Biodiversity Conference COP15 in Montreal (Canada). Strongly interested in climate and biodiversity, she will keep working to push for more action to keep the 1.5-degree target alive and she will remain a fierce advocate for stronger efforts to limit the extinction of species. Nadia holds a Bachelor's in natural resources, specialised in environmental economics, and she currently studies for a Master’s in environmental economics.
Kimmo Ohtonen is one of the two MC’s (Masters of Ceremonies) at WCEF2023. He is a Finnish journalist, author, keynote speaker and TV personality. His career in TV started in the UK in 2005 working for the BBC and ITV on programmes centred around social topics and current affairs. In Finland, Ohtonen is known for various factual programmes and documentaries he has made for the national public broadcaster Yle and other channels. Kimmo has written six books – three fictional and three factual.
Keynote: Our future – a youth perspective for a just and inclusive circular economy
Zuzana Malinkovičová
Student Innovation Manager
DTU Skylab
With an academic background combining innovation management, ESG and regenerative business models, Zuzana is currently leading a variety of initiatives rooted in sustainability and the circular economy at DTU Skylab, the innovation and entrepreneurship hub at the Danish Technical University. Believing in the power of interdisciplinary collaboration and the role of youth in the green transition, she is leading OpenInnovation Circularity, a student innovation challenge uniting over 140 students with the industry to ideate novel, circular solutions to real-life challenges. In the past year, she also co-led the CATALY(C)ST project, a Scandinavian-wide initiative to engage students, researchers and youth movements in the transition to a circular economy and society.
Breaking barriers and overcoming limitations: Challenging our understanding of the circular economy
Leyla Acaroglu
CEO, Founder
Swivel Skills + UnSchool
Sustainability and circular economy provocateur Leyla Acaroglu challenges people to think differently about how the world works. She connects systems, sustainability and design as tools for addressing the planet’s biggest challenges. As a designer and sociologist, she was named 2016 United Nations Champion of the Earth for her work in advancing science and innovation for sustainability. She is a mainstage TED speaker, LinkedIn Changemaker, entrepreneur, creator of the Disruptive Design Method and founder of the UnSchools.co and SwivelSkills.com learning platforms for advancing the global transition to a circular and sustainable economy. She was recently appointed as chief circular designer for Circular Australia.
Agata Meysner is an activist and an environmentalist driven by empowering young people to become climate changemakers in their communities. She is leading the largest coalition of youth-led networks on climate and environmental issues in Europe. Agata is also a member of the Coordination Group of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform. She has served in several advisory roles to different organisations focusing on meaningful youth engagement, environment and system change, most recently in the OECD Youth Advisory Board.
Audrey S-Darko is a climate tech entrepreneur and circular ecosystem builder. She set up and leads a climate tech company at the nexus of carbon finance and regenerative agriculture, restoring soil health and degraded ecosystems.
Coordinator
Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN) for Asia and Thailand
Kittikun “Bright” Saksung has 4 years’ experience in youth development in climate and biodiversity at UNDP in Thailand. Prior to joining GYBN and UNDP, he was project assistant of the Asian Circular Economy Academy organised in collaboration between the UN Environment and Chulalongkorn University. With an MSc in sustainability and environmental studies at the University of Strathclyde, Scotland, and a BBA in international logistics management at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, he is passionate in strengthening an enabling environment for youth to grow and take action towards environmental sustainability
Broadening the horizon: Youth visions for systems change
Kimmo Ohtonen
Journalist
Bad Dog Productions
Kimmo Ohtonen is one of the two MC’s (Masters of Ceremonies) at WCEF2023. He is a Finnish journalist, author, keynote speaker and TV personality. His career in TV started in the UK in 2005 working for the BBC and ITV on programmes centred around social topics and current affairs. In Finland, Ohtonen is known for various factual programmes and documentaries he has made for the national public broadcaster Yle and other channels. Kimmo has written six books – three fictional and three factual.
Kuncharee Thanaddoenkhao is a young political journalist at the Thai parliament who believes that a circular economy is the key to sustainable economic development. As a journalist who works for the legislative institution, her main role is to report news regarding political and environmental events, which allows her to investigate policy issues and inform the public about the potential effects and consequences of government policies. Kuncharee joined the very first ASEAN Youth Economic Forum in March 2023 to develop three policies regarding the circular economy with the other 19 delegates and present those ideas to the ASEAN Secretariat.
Keira Dignan is a youth activist fighting for a future where we can all flourish. With no time for false solutions and fake promises, she is committed to pulling the emergency brake on the root causes of the climate and biodiversity crisis. Keira cut her teeth in the UK divestment movement, where she was at the forefront of the successful struggle to rid Europe's largest higher education fund of fossil fuel investments. She now leads ReGeneration 2030, an ambitious youth movement building power for a just sustainable transition in the Nordic and Baltic Sea region before 2030.
Helena Gualinga, 21, of Kichwa Indigenous and Finland-Swedish origin, is an Indigenous climate justice and human rights defender who advocates for the protection of the Amazon rainforest and Indigenous people’s rights. Gualinga is from the Kichwa community of Sarayaku, a community that has been fighting against big oil for decades. She is a member of the Indigenous Youth Collective of Amazon Defenders. She has attended several conferences such as COP27, UN summits and the World Economic Forum advocating for Kawsak Sacha, or, The Living Forest Proposal, which is the cosmovision of the Sarayaku people.
Nadia Gullestrup Christensen is one of the two first European Union’s youth delegates to the United Nations for the UNGA 77th session. She is also chair of the Danish Youth Climate Council, giving recommendations to the minister of climate and energy of Denmark. As an EU youth delegate, Nadia will focus on creating partnerships across generations and between civil society and the private sector. In the council, Nadia works with the other members to create a global alliance of youth climate councils, as well as local youth climate councils in Denmark. Previously, she has been a Danish youth delegate to the UN for climate and environment – in this capacity she has participated in conferences like the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow (UK), COP27 in Sharm-el-Sheikh (Egypt) and the UN Biodiversity Conference COP15 in Montreal (Canada). Strongly interested in climate and biodiversity, she will keep working to push for more action to keep the 1.5-degree target alive and she will remain a fierce advocate for stronger efforts to limit the extinction of species. Nadia holds a Bachelor's in natural resources, specialised in environmental economics, and she currently studies for a Master’s in environmental economics.
Kimmo Ohtonen is one of the two MC’s (Masters of Ceremonies) at WCEF2023. He is a Finnish journalist, author, keynote speaker and TV personality. His career in TV started in the UK in 2005 working for the BBC and ITV on programmes centred around social topics and current affairs. In Finland, Ohtonen is known for various factual programmes and documentaries he has made for the national public broadcaster Yle and other channels. Kimmo has written six books – three fictional and three factual.
Helena Gualinga, 21, of Kichwa Indigenous and Finland-Swedish origin, is an Indigenous climate justice and human rights defender who advocates for the protection of the Amazon rainforest and Indigenous people’s rights. Gualinga is from the Kichwa community of Sarayaku, a community that has been fighting against big oil for decades. She is a member of the Indigenous Youth Collective of Amazon Defenders. She has attended several conferences such as COP27, UN summits and the World Economic Forum advocating for Kawsak Sacha, or, The Living Forest Proposal, which is the cosmovision of the Sarayaku people.
Coordinator
Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN) for Asia and Thailand
Kittikun “Bright” Saksung has 4 years’ experience in youth development in climate and biodiversity at UNDP in Thailand. Prior to joining GYBN and UNDP, he was project assistant of the Asian Circular Economy Academy organised in collaboration between the UN Environment and Chulalongkorn University. With an MSc in sustainability and environmental studies at the University of Strathclyde, Scotland, and a BBA in international logistics management at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, he is passionate in strengthening an enabling environment for youth to grow and take action towards environmental sustainability
Agata Meysner is an activist and an environmentalist driven by empowering young people to become climate changemakers in their communities. She is leading the largest coalition of youth-led networks on climate and environmental issues in Europe. Agata is also a member of the Coordination Group of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform. She has served in several advisory roles to different organisations focusing on meaningful youth engagement, environment and system change, most recently in the OECD Youth Advisory Board.
Keira Dignan is a youth activist fighting for a future where we can all flourish. With no time for false solutions and fake promises, she is committed to pulling the emergency brake on the root causes of the climate and biodiversity crisis. Keira cut her teeth in the UK divestment movement, where she was at the forefront of the successful struggle to rid Europe's largest higher education fund of fossil fuel investments. She now leads ReGeneration 2030, an ambitious youth movement building power for a just sustainable transition in the Nordic and Baltic Sea region before 2030.
Sustainability and circular economy provocateur Leyla Acaroglu challenges people to think differently about how the world works. She connects systems, sustainability and design as tools for addressing the planet’s biggest challenges. As a designer and sociologist, she was named 2016 United Nations Champion of the Earth for her work in advancing science and innovation for sustainability. She is a mainstage TED speaker, LinkedIn Changemaker, entrepreneur, creator of the Disruptive Design Method and founder of the UnSchools.co and SwivelSkills.com learning platforms for advancing the global transition to a circular and sustainable economy. She was recently appointed as chief circular designer for Circular Australia.
With an academic background combining innovation management, ESG and regenerative business models, Zuzana is currently leading a variety of initiatives rooted in sustainability and the circular economy at DTU Skylab, the innovation and entrepreneurship hub at the Danish Technical University. Believing in the power of interdisciplinary collaboration and the role of youth in the green transition, she is leading OpenInnovation Circularity, a student innovation challenge uniting over 140 students with the industry to ideate novel, circular solutions to real-life challenges. In the past year, she also co-led the CATALY(C)ST project, a Scandinavian-wide initiative to engage students, researchers and youth movements in the transition to a circular economy and society.
Audrey S-Darko is a climate tech entrepreneur and circular ecosystem builder. She set up and leads a climate tech company at the nexus of carbon finance and regenerative agriculture, restoring soil health and degraded ecosystems.
Kuncharee Thanaddoenkhao is a young political journalist at the Thai parliament who believes that a circular economy is the key to sustainable economic development. As a journalist who works for the legislative institution, her main role is to report news regarding political and environmental events, which allows her to investigate policy issues and inform the public about the potential effects and consequences of government policies. Kuncharee joined the very first ASEAN Youth Economic Forum in March 2023 to develop three policies regarding the circular economy with the other 19 delegates and present those ideas to the ASEAN Secretariat.
