Neeshad Shafi

Neeshad Shafi is an Environmentalist, Speaker and Social Change Advocate. He was distinguished as one of the ‘World’s 100 Most Influential People in Climate Policy 2019’ by Apolitical.

He is the member of the Steering Committee at UNESCO, non-resident Fellow of Middle East Institute, regional facilitator at UNEP MENA (United Nations Environment Programme - Middle East and North Africa), co-founder of AYCM (Arab Youth Climate) QATAR, Steering Committee chair of CoalitionWILD, ambassador at One Young World, project advisor of Youth Climate Lab.

Shafi holds a master’s degree in Energy and Environmental Engineering and based in Doha, Qatar. He has over 5 years of experience in analyzing Global Environmental Politics and Climate Policies with a special focus on the Middle East. An active member of several global environmental youth groups and contributed actively in international summits notably United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations at Conferences of Parties COP21, COP22, COP24, COP25, World Economic Forum (WEF) Davos 2019, World Economic Forum Middle East 2019, Global Landscapes Forum Bonn 2019 and UN Youth Climate Summit in 2019 in New York.

Shafi’s work encompasses mainstreaming climate change issues across sectors and at multiple scales from national to local. His passion for youth advocacy and grassroots work in Qatar lead to visible impact when he co-founded the Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar, a first, registered, Independent, youth lead grassroots non-profit association in the State of Qatar. His work in Middle East region has supported private sector, NGO’s, governments and multinational agencies in taking evidence-based decisions and deliver impact on the ground.

Shafi is the Agenda Contributor for World Economic Forum and his recent articles and interviews have appeared in TEDx, Washington Post, Guardian, The Gulf Times, Qatar Tribune, Qatar Today, Global Landscapes Forum, THE LENS, Oryx FM and EcoMENA.

Shafi was featured in the QLife magazine by Government Communications Office (GCO) of the State of Qatar as 10 Influential people in Qatar who have pushed the boundaries and represented Qatar on the world stage. Shafi was also featured in live interviews on former US Vice President Al Gore’s 24 Hours of Reality – According to Climate Reality, which quoted “Neeshad Shafi who is inspiring young people across the Middle-East to fight for a sustainable future. Who voice you must hear.”