HDSB Human Rights Symposium

Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Nobel Peace Prize nominee, climate change and human rights advocate, TEDx speaker, author, former Canadian President and International Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council.

Pronouns: She/Her 

Nobel Peace Prize nominee Sheila Watt-Cloutier is in the business of transforming public opinion into public policy. From 1995-2002, Sheila was elected the Canadian President of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC). She was later elected in 2002 to become the International Chair of the ICC, representing the 155,000 Inuit from Canada, Greenland, Alaska, and Russia — she held this post until 2006. 

In 2007, Sheila was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her advocacy work in showing the impact of global climate change on human rights — especially in the Arctic, where it is felt more immediately, and more dramatically, than anywhere else in the world. Sheila speaks with passion and urgency on the issues of today — the environment, the economy, foreign policy, global health, and sustainability — not as separate concerns, but as a deeply interconnected whole. ​

Kehkashan Basu, global influencer, educator, environmentalist, champion of women and children’s rights, TEDx speaker, Climate Reality Mentor, author, musician, peace and sustainability campaigner.

Pronouns: She/Her 

Kehkashan Basu works tirelessly to amplify the voices of young people, women and girls in decision-making processes across the globe. A Forbes 30 Under 30 and Co-Lead of UN Women Generation Equality Forum’s Action Coalition on​ Feminist Action for Climate Justice, Kehkashan is a United Nations Human Rights Champion and the only Canadian to win the International Children’s Peace Prize.  

At just 12-years old, Kehkashan founded the global social innovation enterprise, Green Hope Foundation. Green Hope Foundation works at a grassroots level in 26 countries, empowering over 400,000 young people and women, especially those from vulnerable communities, in the sustainable development process through education.​​