Dawda Cham

Dawda Cham is a Gambian environment and climate leader with over four years of nonprofit conservation experience. He holds a BSc in Biology from the University of The Gambia. Currently Deputy Director of Household Disaster Resilience Project - (HELP-Gambia), he coordinates multi-stakeholder partnerships for climate change, environmental, and disaster projects and programs in vulnerable communities in The Gambia. Notably, in 2021, he launched one of The Gambia’s biggest waste management campaigns by a civil society known to the press as “Trash-Free Gambia”, which was implemented in four regions namely KMC, WCR, NBR and URR.

He is also a strong voice for communities faced with climate injustices and empowers them through capacity-building initiatives and communication skills to speak up for themselves and demand climate justice. He is a restoration champion as he led numerous tree planting initiatives in The Gambia aimed at restoring the country’s lost forest cover. This year, he championed the famous “Grow4Gambia” project, which is a transformative tree planting project designed to accommodate everyone and enhance the restoration and safeguarding of the biodiversity.

Additionally, in 2022, Dawda led Gambian youth to organize the country's first-ever Local Conference of Youth on Climate Change (LCOY), creating a National Youth Statement and advocating for government investment in resilience building and the inclusion of young people and vulnerable communities in climate policymaking and implementation processes.

Beyond The Gambia, he co-leads the Partnerships Working Group of Africa Youth Mobilisation for COP – a campaign of YOUNGO (official Children & Youth Constituency of the UNFCCC), enhancing African youth participation in global climate events and decision-making processes. Dawda is a UNICEF Youth Voice on Climate Action, focusing on addressing climate crisis in the Sahel. He was The Gambia’s sole International Youth Delegate in the International Youth Climate Delegates Program of the COP28 Presidency, where he underwent negotiation trainings offered by Harvard University, UNFCCC and MIT Science Impact Collaborative and followed climate negotiations at COP28 in Dubai, UAE.