UNDP Youth Champions Shrestha and Shakil Felicitated for Scaling Summit to Champion Plastic-Free Future

UNDP Nepal's Climate Influencer Purnima Shrestha and UNDP Bangladesh's Climate Advocate Ikramul Hasan Shakil at the felicitation programme. Photo: UNDP Nepal

Kathmandu: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Nepal on May 28 honoured Ikramul Hasan Shakil, Purnima Shrestha, UNDP Nepal’s Climate Influencer, and UNDP Youth Advocate from Bangladesh, in a special felicitation and interaction programme held at the UN House in Kathmandu, reads press statement of UNDP Nepal.

In a landmark journey uniting human endurance and environmental advocacy, UNDP Climate Influencer and mountaineer Shrestha and UNDP Youth Advocate Shakil have successfully scaled Mount Everest with the message to #BeatPlasticPollution. The initiative is part of the Plastics Circularity Project of UNDP across nine Asian countries, focusing on curbing plastic pollution through community engagement, innovation, and cross-border youth advocacy.

Covering 1,372 kilometers on foot from Inani Beach in Cox’s Bazar to the summit of Mount Everest, UNDP Bangladesh Youth Advocate Shakil raised awareness about plastic pollution, sustainable living, and climate change. Over the 84-day trek, Shakil swam across the Jamuna River, walked through Dhaka, engaged with communities in Bangladesh, India and Nepal, and collected plastic waste along the way.

Additionally, this season, UNDP Nepal’s climate influencer Shrestha, completed her fifth Everest summit, becoming the first woman to do so three times in one season. As UNDP’s climate influencer, Purnima has been raising awareness about climate justice, plastic pollution, and particularly the disproportionate impacts on mountain communities and marginalized populations in various national and international forums.