Prasad A Global Citizen

Vishal Prasad, 27, celebrated his efforts in campaigning for an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Climate Change and human rights for Pacific Islander people.

Mr Prasad who is dubbed the 'Fijian changemaker' received the Global Citizen Prize during the Global Citizen NOW summit in New York on Thursday (Fiji Time).

He is one of just six prize winners for 2024.

As a Global Citizen Prize winner, he received a year-long programme of support from Global Citizen, together with a cash grant for Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change.

"Community is at the heart, free from hustle culture, and custodians of the world's largest oceans," he said.

Mr Prasad is the campaign director for Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change; leading the charge that is calling ICJ to provide access to an advisory opinion that would be transformational in guiding ambition, accountability, and fairness in the global climate response mechanism.

He and his team are demanding a strong Advisory Opinion from the world's largest court that will uphold climate justice and human rights.

Mr Prasad is from Suva; he studied international politics and law at the University of the South Pacific (USP).

He has been part of the ICJ advisory opinion movement since 2019, and is also part of the global ICJ advisory opinion movement under the World's Youth for Climate Justice.

As part of the ICJ advisory opinion campaign, Mr Prasad has a strong focus on securing the Pacific youth demands on the protection of the rights of current and future generations from the adverse effects of climate change.

The award ceremony features appearances by the Prime Minister of the Bahamas Philip Davis, media personality and entrepreneur Brooklyn Peltz Beckham, media personality and Global Citizen Advocate Berla Mundi, EIB Network and Empire Group Chief Executive Officer Nat Kwabena Adisi (Bola Ray), and Latin super-star and Grammy-nominated artist Rauw Alejandro.

Feedback: waisean@fijisun.com.fj