• Impact entrepreneur and climate activist Upeka Tharindi Thilini Mali on climate justice for Sri Lanka

Bringing together six countries in the Asian continent was the four-day Asia Youth Climate Justice Learning, Planning and Mobilisation Conclave 2025, held from 11 August in Bangladesh. At this event, environmental activists from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Timor-Leste gathered with a collective objective that is meant to give the entire region a leg-up ahead of COP30 that is set for November. 

This objective encompassed building momentum for climate literacy in South Asia and boosting regional cooperation for filling the gaps in climate finance each member country desperately requires.

Hosted by Oxfam in Asia in partnership with Climate Action Network South Asia, the programme featured activities targeting Oxfam’s #PlantTheFunds campaign, both theoretical and practical in nature and engaging with climate-vulnerable local communities as well.

Amongst the 19 young activists was impact entrepreneur and sustainable advocate Upeka Tharindi Thilini Mali, one of Sri Lanka’s representatives at the summit. To learn more about the event and the wider environment surrounding climate finance in South Asia, The Daily Morning Brunch spoke with Thilini Mali.

“The objective was to make a collective regional plan for COP30, a strategic plan, and which is not going to stop just after COP30- it’s an initiation,” she explained of the climate conclave’s aim. “We are going to continue that country-wise and regionally in a collaborative manner, showcasing evidence [of climate vulnerability] as a continent, as a region, so as to tap for the climate fund. We are going to create ripple effects in our own countries.”

Climate literacy and finance

The Youth Climate Conclave comes at a time when global attention to climate change has soared, yet has stayed stagnant in some of the most important areas. Thilini Mali’s experiences during the programme show how environmental crises have social consequences arising from systemic negligence.

“South Asia is one of the most climate-vulnerable regions globally, despite contributing the least to the climate crisis,” she shared. “Climate finance, however, remains inadequate and often inaccessible to affected communities. While global pledges and funds exist under UNFCCC processes, distribution is slow, bureaucratic, and unequal. Many powerful nations have even withdrawn from commitments, leaving South Asia to struggle with floods, droughts, and displacement with limited resources. The gap between negotiations at COPs and ground realities for vulnerable families remains stark.”

What we can gather, then, is the inherent entanglement of the social, environmental, economic and political pillars of sustainability. The conclave’s four-day programme targeted each of these dimensions, allowing participants to gain experience in climate advocacy while understanding the context of peoples most affected by climate change, as well as the sociopolitical factors barring efficient distribution of climate finance.

Thilini Mali continued to speak about what stood out to her from the climate summit, drawing attention to a new category of asylum-seekers in the 21st century: displaced by natural disasters, yet urgently waiting to be formally recognised. Thus, climate literacy, or awareness surrounding the root causes of climate injustice and the plausible solutions, is still lacking.

“The programme offered us the chance to design country plans and regional collaborations,” she explained. “My highlight was engaging with the Dhaka group, where we visited slum communities in Dhaka Kallyanpur Slum 8 and directly observed the struggles of climate migrants – families displaced from their villages by floods, erosion, and cyclones, now surviving in poverty as garment workers or rickshaw drivers. Witnessing their resilience yet systemic neglect made the climate crisis very real and personal.”

Lessons for Sri Lanka

While the climate conclave rallied support for the region as a whole, the participating countries developed individual plans to further the response to the climate crisis in their own locales. Moreover, Upeka firmly believes that the lessons learnt from the summit should also be absorbed by Sri Lanka as it journeys on its own path within the present and future sustainability strategy.

“Sri Lanka can learn the importance of preparing for climate-induced displacement, not just responding with temporary emergency relief,” she said, drawing the line between resilience and proactive protection.

“Like Bangladesh and Pakistan, we too, have vulnerable coastal and rural communities whose livelihoods are at risk. By adopting regional strategies, investing in sustainable relocation, and recognising climate migrants, Sri Lanka can build resilience while ensuring dignity and justice for its people. The forum reminded us that resilience alone is not enough – we need systemic protections backed by fair finance and policy,” she added.

A crucial highlight of the summit was the need for concrete evidence regarding climate-related issues, which would allow South Asia and its member countries to garner the necessary monetary support from international institutions for a climate-resilient framework and aid for climate refugees. The entire strategy is therefore built on the power of collective negotiation, and aims for support in relief, recovery and protection.

“In terms of climate literacy, what is important is advocating climate-related action and being an activist regarding this area in order to encourage young people. The other thing is creating a voice to build more evidence for climate-related issues and a petition to take this forward. There are a lot of issues in Sri Lanka as well. So, how do the young youth come together to build more evidence to negotiate?” 

Upeka emphasised how Sri Lanka is not alone on this journey – by focusing on domestic strategies and policies to build its climate-resilient framework, the country actively plays a part in South Asia’s endeavours to seek climate justice. As such, a positive feedback loop is created, where regional strength through the voices and actions of its individual members in turn brings a host of benefits to the continent as a whole.

“One important thing to note about climate awareness and in terms of the incoming COP30, is to identify where Sri Lanka should be pitching in and where we should be collaborating with other countries. Because we are also liable to those funds and we should consider this a serious matter, and pitch the right evidence”.

A call for regional cooperation

“My main contribution was highlighting the overlooked issue of climate migrants, who are displaced but not formally recognised as refugees under the 1951 UN Convention. This gap denies them access to protections and financial support. By raising this in the regional dialogue, I emphasised the need for South Asia to petition collectively for recognition of climate migrants.”

As such, Upeka stressed on the loopholes in current international climate conventions, which require robust evidence from affected countries. What each of South Asia’s member countries must contribute, then, is a firm pledge to support this mission, and Upeka remains optimistic about the region’s potential to collaboratively work towards a shared goal.

Bringing attention to the contributions made at the climate conclave, she stated: “While structural change will take time, these discussions lay the groundwork for stronger advocacy and potential reforms in future climate negotiations.”

A flow of necessary actions is thus identified, starting from influencing policy discourse as a region via amplified community voices, and thereby solidifying the need for climate finance. The most important thing to remember, however, is that no country is, or should be, facing this challenge alone.

“The biggest lesson was that regional solidarity is essential. Climate disasters do not stop at national borders – whether it’s floods in Pakistan, cyclones in Bangladesh, or droughts in Sri Lanka, the struggles are interconnected. Acting individually weakens us, but presenting a unified South Asian front in global climate finance and justice negotiations can amplify our voice and influence.”

One thing the Asia Youth Climate Justice Conclave made clear, then, was that an entire region is waiting to be heard, and that a choice and clear solution is present: to either speak up together or remain silent. Therefore, the message sent across from activists present at the summit and beyond is that climate change is personal and in the present.

In this spirit, Thilini Mali and gathered activists urged to take action today and #PlantTheFunds. To add your voice to the #PlantTheFunds campaign and ‘Recognise and Protect Climate Migrants in South Asia’, visit change.org