User:James.Gourlay/Anoka Abeyrathne

Anoka Abeyrathne (Anoka Primrose Abeyrathne) is the recipient of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Youth Award 2010 [1] for Outstanding contribution to the protection of Environment and mitigation of Climate Change. [2]. Abeyrathne has been involved in adapting/mitigating Climate change and protecting wetlands of Sri Lanka since the age of 14 years and has replanted more than 12,000 Mangroves in Sri Lanka while promoting renewable energy and organic farming practices. [3]

She is an activist involved in the South Asian Youth Climate Action Network and the Sri Lankan counterpart of the network. The Sri Lankan representative to the Children's World Summit on the Environment at age 15, she is a British Council International Climate Champion 2010 and is the Sri Lankan delegate to the Youth Forum on Climate Finance 2010 in Shanghai.

Anoka is a Great-grand-daughter of C.W.W Kannagara, the first Education Minister and Father of Free Education of Sri Lanka, Grand-daughter of Manel Abeysekera; the First Female Diplomat of Sri Lanka, Niece of the UN Human Rights Award winning Sunila Abeysekera, Niece to Ministers of the Parliament of Sri Lanka and the daughter of a pioneer in renewable energy in Sri Lanka.

She is an undergraduate of the University of London the Open University of Sri Lanka.