Bangladeshi youth-led project wins climate action competition

A youth-led project from Bangladesh has won a regional climate action competition, with the winners announced during the 13th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development held in Bangkok on Wednesday.

The winning team, Eco Sentinels, developed BrineAway, a nature-based water filtration system designed to tackle the growing problem of salinity intrusion in coastal areas.

Using locally available materials and halophyte plants, the system can reduce water salinity by up to 85 per cent, providing affordable and clean water to coastal communities through a women-led micro-entrepreneur distribution model.

The project was selected from more than 330 applications representing around 1,400 young change-makers across the Asia-Pacific region. The winning solution exemplifies how the next generation is coming up with scalable and innovative solutions for some of the world’s environmental problems.

Rezwanul Islam Shuvo, CEO, Eco Sentinels, expressed the group's goal, "Our mission is to fight salinity with innovation and community action. By turning salt into a solution, we aren't just purifying water; we are turning once-affected areas into thriving, resilient ecosystems where children no longer have to miss school due to waterborne illness."

The Generation Hope Goals initiative is a collaborative effort led by Save the Children, UN ESCAP, UNDP, Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, YECAP, UNFCCC RCC Asia-Pacific, and ChildFund International.

This year, the competition challenged young people aged 14–24 to design practical solutions aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, industry innovation and infrastructure, sustainable cities and communities, and partnership for the goals.

“Home to nearly 60 per cent of the world’s youth, our region holds extraordinary potential. Youth-driven solutions are already transforming communities. Young entrepreneurs are launching green startups. Young innovators are expanding access to education and health through digital tools. Young leaders are mobilising climate action and strengthening inclusion. These solutions are practical, scalable, and inspiring,” shared Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCAP.

“Young people are a generation powered by hope, defined not by the challenges they face, but by their ideas and willingness to take action. Generation Hope Goals stands for hope in action, where young people turn vision into real progress. At UNDP, we are creating enabling environments where young leaders can innovate, collaborate, and drive sustainable development. By providing space to share knowledge, test ideas, and work across borders and generations, we ensure that youth leadership remains at the heart of accelerating the SDGs,” said Beate Trankmann, Deputy Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific and Director at UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub.

Arshad Malik, Regional Director of Save the Children said “Climate change affects us all, but children are particularly vulnerable and disproportionately impacted. Around the world, children are raising heir voices, sharing solutions, and demanding change, and they’re already building their future. This includes today’s winner who stood out for demonstrating youth leadership, real-world impact, scalability and for offering a truly innovative solution.”

munni_fe@yahoo.com