‘Ariff Amir Ali

Ariff is a passionate advocate for climate justice and youth empowerment. He serves as the Advocacy Director for Youth United for Earth (YUFE), leading YUFE’s agenda for climate justice, organizing workshops and focus groups, engaging young people across the ASEAN region, and promoting human-centred, youth-led climate solutions. Ariff is also a former member and a mentor for UNICEF-EAPRO’s Young People’s Action Team, where he provided input on key UN documents like the CRC General Comment 27.0 and advanced youth-led initiatives for climate resilience in the region. His involvement extends to UNICEF Malaysia’s Young Leaders Program fellowship, where he previously worked on governance, climate action, and education—developing an English communication toolkit for low-income students. He previously advised former Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability as part of the NRES Climate Change Consultative Panel Youth Cluster, contributing to documents like the National Climate Change Act and Malaysia’s National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights. With speaking engagements that have spanned from private entities like Microsoft to international bodies like UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, COP29, Regional Business and Human Rights Forum, etc. ‘Ariff continues championing progressive climate justice and youth participation on national and global levels. He is currently continuing his studies at the University of Melbourne.

For me, making an impact means building bridges. Change does not come instantly and it doesn’t happen through one person alone, so it’s incredibly vital to make sure we work together rather than in silos. Even if it’s just getting your family members to change their stance on plastics, that’s one step in a collective effort to achieve a more just and equitable future.