Speaker

Yeb Madla Saño is a climate justice activist from The Philippines and currently serves as the Executive Director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, leading the diverse operations of the environmental group in the region and its work on averting the climate crisis and defending Southeast Asia's biodiversity. Previously, he was Commissioner of the Philippines’ Climate Change Commission, the country’s lead policy-making government body on climate change. Yeb was the Philippines’ Chief Negotiator in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and was widely known for championing climate justice and the voice of the developing world in the climate negotiations. He also served as Co-Chair of the UNFCCC’s Long Term Finance Work Programme. He has been working with local communities and international bodies for more than 25 years, tackling domestic and international issues that relate to climate policy, clean energy, international finance, biodiversity, marine conservation, disaster risk reduction, and governance. As the founder of The Climate Pilgrimage, Yeb led a 1500 kilometer walk with other climate activists from Rome to Paris in 2015 to highlight the call to action from faith communities for urgent response to the climate crisis. He is also the Vice-Chair of the Board of the Laudato Si’ Movement (the Global Catholic Climate Movement) and serves on the board of the international climate activist organization 350.org. Yeb is also an avid scuba diver, climber, wildlife photographer, cyclist, artist, and a firm believer in community empowerment.