Licypriya addresses world leaders at the 80th UN General Assembly
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 23 2025: 13-year-old climate activist Licypriya Kangujam addressed world leaders at the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Side Event.

She attended the event held under the theme "Achieving Sustainable Development Goals and Building a World of Three Zeros" as the founder of the Child Movement and Special Envoy for the President of Timor-Leste.

This was the second time Licypriya attended the UN General Assembly after 2022.Due to delay in issuing her US Visa, she addressed the UNGA High Level Session through a pre-recorded video message.

In her speech, Licypriya emphasized that the climate crisis is not a distant threat but a painful reality impacting children today.

"Floods wash away schools, storms snatch away homes, and drought steals the food from our plates," she stated, drawing attention to the devastating effects of climate disasters that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations.

Licypriya passionately called for climate justice, asserting that it is not merely a charitable act but a fundamental duty, particularly for Nations in the global south, including Africa and South Asia.

"Your decisions today will decide whether millions of children will dream under safe skies or cry under burning suns," she implored.

She urged leaders to ensure that the Loss and Damage Fund reaches those devastated by floods in India and Bangladesh, cyclones in Mozambique, and droughts in the Hom of Africa.

"The SDGs cannot be achieved on a planet that is burning," she warned, stressing that efforts to eradicate poverty, ensure health, and provide education will fail if the climate crisis continues to escalate.

Licypriya expressed a vision of hope for a world of three zeros: zero poverty, zero unemployment, and zero net carbon emissions.

"Leaders of the world, when you return home from this Assembly, I ask you to look into the eyes of your children and grandchildren.

Ask yourself: Are you leaving them a world worth living in?" she challenged.

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