• Comment: PROMO. COI/UPE. BLP contains WP:OR and relies on unreliable sources. — Saqib (talk I contribs) 15:55, 25 July 2024 (UTC)

Pervez Ali علی
Born
Danish Pervez Aly

2003 (age 20–21)
Yasin, Ghizer District, Pakistan
CitizenshipPakistan
Occupation(s)Policy Advisor (DRR, CR)
EmployerGermanWatch e.V
MovementFridays For Future Pakistan

Pervez Ali (born March 10, 2003 in Yasin Village, Ghizer District) is a climate justice and Indigenous rights activist..[1] from the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. He became an activist after experiencing the impacts of the climate crisis in his community.  He is an organizer with School Strike for Climate, where he spearheads the country chapter of Fridays For Future Pakistan.

Activism

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Pervez Ali serves as an advisor on Disaster Risk reduction expert in sustainable community resillience. Currently serving at Germanwatch, assisting with the Climate Change Performance Index and Multi-Actor Partnerships to build community resilience[2]. Pervez Ali’s commitment to environmental advocacy was shaped profoundly by the devastating floods that struck his region in 2010[3], when he was just seven years old. This early exposure to the harsh realities of climate change fueled his determination to make a difference. He completed his early education at the Diamond Jubilee Model School under the Aga Khan Education Service for Pakistan (AKESP), continued his secondary education at the Aga Khan Higher Secondary School in Gilgit (AKHSS Gilgit), and later pursued higher secondary education at the Global System of Integrated Studies (GSIS). In 2015, while still a student at AKHSS Gilgit, Ali began his journey as a climate activist, joining his school’s Environmental Club. His personal experiences with climate-related disasters motivated him to raise awareness about climate change, disaster preparedness, and strategies to minimize life-threatening risks.

Ali’s activism gained momentum in October 2019 when he joined a group of students from Iqra University Islamabad to help establish Fridays for Future Pakistan. This movement, led by Iqbal Baddrudin, aimed to provide a platform for young climate activists and address the challenges faced by indigenous and frontline communities in environmental advocacy. Despite facing significant obstacles from entrenched political interests and systemic barriers[4], Aly and his peers worked tirelessly to elevate the voices of those most affected by climate change and advocate for meaningful action on a national and international scale[5]

Pervez Ali started his professional activism with Fridays for Future Pakistan as a member. He served as the Chapter Lead for the Islamabad region before advancing to the position of Country Coordinator[6] for Fridays for Future Pakistan. In this role, he managed grassroots activism, partnered with NGOs, coordinated with government ministries, and represented youth at international conferences. He is also a member of the Climate and Loss and Damage Working Groups within YOUNGO which is the official children and youth constituency of United Nations Framework Convention on climate change (UNFCCC). He represented global youth at high-level dialogues, contributing to position papers and global youth statements. He served as the Country Focal Point for MOCK-COP, SOS-UK, where he assisted in climate education projects and represented MOCK-COP at Conference of Parties 27 (COP27).[7] He was a member on Human Rights and Peacekeeping with Amnesty International, advocating for indigenous and frontline community rights[8] and participating in protests and demonstrations. Aly also worked as a Youth Advisor on Food Systems with Collective Campaign for Peace (COCAP), assessing the impact of extreme weather on food systems and conducting post-disaster assessments.

Policy advocacy

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Pervez Ali has served as youth a policy advocate at numerous national and international conferences. Notably, he was invited to the Conference of the Parties 27 (COP27) in Egypt, where he not only spoke as a guest in the civil society sector, often referred to as the Green Zone, but also represented global youth during the plenary session with his opening remarks. Additionally, he represented Pakistan at COP15 on Biodiversity in Montreal, overcoming significant challenges to attend.[9] His other representative roles include participating in the Water Conference in New York and attending the Subsidiary Body Meetings 60 (SB60) in Bonn, Germany.

Personal life

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Pervez Ali grew up in the small village Yasin in the Northern Areas of Pakistan, known as Gilgit-Baltistan, before moving to Islamabad. He currently resides in Bonn, Germany. Aly is the second youngest of four siblings; he has two brothers and two sisters. His father served in the Pakistan Army for 18 years and is now retired, while his elder brother continues to serve in the Army's Infantry.

In various interviews, Aly has spoken about his late mother, who died in February 2021, as a crucial mentor and source of support throughout his life. He recalls the severe hardships his family faced during the 2010 floods[10], particularly when his mother needed life-saving medication following an open-heart surgery. Due to road blockages from the floods, they were unable to bring her the necessary drugs. "My mother was my only friend with whom I shared everything. I still remember her tears, which she expertly hid, as she tried to console me when we couldn’t get her medicine. Warfarin— I still remember the name of that medicine. As a seven-year-old, I suffered significant mental trauma. What were you doing when you were seven?” he shared during a panel at COP27's Pakistan Pavilion at a UNICEF Global event, where he was invited as a guest speaker[11]

  1. ^ Hughes, Patrick (19-11-2022). "'We aren't able to feed our people' - Pakistani activist". BBC. p. 2. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ Dayne, Suzanna (2024-06-24). "Pakistan floods two years on: What's changed?". #ThinkLandscape. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  3. ^ "'Be the change': Refugee at age 7, Pakistani teenager leads climate movement". Arab News PK. 2022-11-25. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  4. ^ Siddiqui, Zuha (2022-11-24). "Big Promises Were Made at COP27. Where's the Money?". Vice. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  5. ^ "Pakistan: Climate activists pay a high price – DW – 02/15/2023". dw.com. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  6. ^ "Climate justice: Youth inherit loss and damage". fes.de. 2022-11-22. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  7. ^ Lombrana, Laura Millan (2022-11-04). "Egypt crushes at home the climate action it's championing abroad". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  8. ^ Irfan, Anmol (2024-07-24). "Pakistan's Climate Disconnect". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  9. ^ "Visa issues at COP15 biodiversity summit in Montreal could stem from UN delays". Rocky Mountain Outlook. 2022-12-07. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  10. ^ "'We're trapped in climate catastrophe, and Global North emissions are responsible': meet the youth advocates backing reparations". Varsity Online. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  11. ^ Global, UNICEF (16 November 2022). "Country Coordinator Pervez was invited by the UNICEF". UNICEF Global. p. 1.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)