Bangladeshi youth climate advocate and environmental communicator Sohanur Rahman has been named the winner of the Green Journalist Award at the 13th Balipara Foundation Awards, organisers said ahead of the ceremony scheduled for 11 December in Guwahati, India.
Rahman, executive coordinator of YouthNet Global, one of South Asia’s largest grassroots youth climate networks and cofounder of Bangladesh’s Climate Communicator Community, was recognised for his reporting on frontline climate realities and efforts to mobilise young people across Bangldesh. He was recently profiled by DW Bangla as an emerging young climate influencer.
The award will be presented during a two-day gathering that includes the Eastern Himalayan Naturenomics Forum on 10 December, bringing together regional leaders and practitioners to discuss sustainable solutions. Rahman will join the ceremony virtually due to visa complications.
Based in Assam, the Balipara Foundation is known for its conservation and community-centred development work in the Eastern Himalayas. Announcing the award, the foundation praised Rahman as “one of Bangladesh’s leading young climate communicators,” saying his storytelling has helped draw national and regional attention to the struggles of coastal families, indigenous groups, young women and climate-affected migrants.
The foundation also highlighted Rahman’s role in founding YouthNet for Climate Justice, now YouthNet Global, which has trained young reporters to track climate impacts, document local losses, and advocate for people-centred solutions. His leadership, it said, has shaped climate justice conversations from remote communities to global platforms.
Rahman, who has represented Bangladesh at COP27, COP29 and COP30, said the honour reinforces his commitment to amplifying vulnerable communities. “This award strengthens my resolve to keep telling the stories of those living with climate impacts every day. Their voices must guide our climate decisions,” he told reporters.
