Fatou Jeng

International Empowerment Manager
at Plant-for-the-Planet

Fatou Jeng is a climate advocate and founder of Clean Earth Gambia. A former Youth Climate Adviser to the UN Secretary-General, she works at the intersection of youth leadership, gender equality, and climate policy, bridging grassroots action and global decision-making.

The Gambia/Germany

English

Fatou Jeng is a climate advocate from The Gambia working to bridge grassroots climate action with global decision-making. She is the founder of Clean Earth Gambia, one of the country’s largest youth-led environmental organizations, which mobilizes young people and communities through climate education, tree planting, and advocacy. Through the organization, more than 55,000 Gambians have participated in climate education and environmental protection initiatives, and over 40,000 trees have been planted to support local ecosystem restoration and climate resilience.

Fatou’s work has helped bring youth perspectives from vulnerable communities into international climate policy spaces. She served as Youth Climate Adviser to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres from 2023 to 2025 and was a member of the advisory panel for the UN Early Warning Systems for All Initiative. Earlier, she was active in the UNFCCC Youth Constituency (YOUNGO), where she co-led the Women and Gender Working Group and contributed to policy submissions on gender and climate change from COP23 to COP27.

A frequent speaker at global climate forums, Fatou has addressed audiences at the United Nations General Assembly, the SDG Summit, COP climate conferences, Africa Climate Weeks, the World Bank, and the High-Level Political Forum. Her work and perspectives have been featured in international media including The New York Times, TIME Magazine, BBC World News, Forbes, and Deutsche Welle.

Fatou holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a master’s degree in Environment, Development and Policy from the University of Sussex, where she studied as a Chevening Scholar. She is a recipient of several international recognitions, including Forbes 30 Under 30 (2025), the Greentech Youngster Award (2024), and the Award for Women Championing Environmental Rights.Today, she serves as International Empowerment Manager at Plant-for-the-Planet, where she works to strengthen global partnerships and empower young people to lead climate action.