YRE INTERNATIONAL JURY

Each year, the YRE International Jury brings together an inspiring group of storytellers, experts, and changemakers from around the world to review the work of young environmental reporters. 

More than just selecting winners, the jury plays a key role in amplifying youth voices, celebrating creativity, and highlighting bold ideas for a more sustainable future. Their insights help shape the competition and ensure that powerful stories from young people are seen, heard, and valued globally. 

 

“If sustainable development is to be a reality, youth will be at the centre of the necessary transition. Today’s consumers, tomorrow’s decision makers – youth will define our success. The YRE winners represent some of these potential change makers.”
- Garrette Clark, Sustainable Lifestyles Cities and Industry Branch, UNEP 

 

YRE International Jury

Featured
Bernard Combes
Bernard Combes

Bernard Combes is an Education for Sustainable Development specialist with over 20 years of experience at UNESCO in communication, education and public awareness related to biodiversity, water, oceans, climate, cities and sustainable lifestyles, as well as on issues related to human rights and the environment.  He was involved in accelerating sustainable solutions at local level, fostering local networks and platforms for learning and multi-stakeholder collaboration, and enhancing the educational outreach of UNESCO sites as learning hubs for sustainability.  He also brings over 10 years of experience in early childhood education, working on UNESCO’s Early Childhood programmes, focusing on training, partnership, networking and advocacy at global level, and developing multimedia resources for early childhood and child rights advocacy.  Additionally, he has over 10 years’ expertise in Information & Database Management, focusing on research, publications, and databases on development and humanitarian NGOs at UNESCO and the OECD Development Center.

Christopher Slaney
Christopher Slaney

Christopher Slaney is a former freelance journalist and television news producer with thirty-five years experience, much of it in the Middle East and Africa. He started out as a television news cameraman when stations shot film which needed processing in a lab, editing was a skill involving scissors and glue, and getting stories on air when satellites were still a novelty often meant finding airline crew who would carry a spool of film to London or Paris. In 1990, he covered the release of Nelson Mandela from prison as a live transmission and thus began a new career producing live coverage of major news events. Notable credits include the handover of Hong Kong to Chinese rule, PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat returning to Gaza, US presidential elections and the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Since 1998 he has worked mainly for the Associated Press, the world's global news agency. 

Davide Agretto
Davide Agretto

Davide Agretto is a Youth Education Specialist at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with previous experience at the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), where he contributed to the work of Governing Bodies in Conference Management. His career is rooted in a strong commitment to global education, youth empowerment, and sustainable development. He has developed initiatives that create meaningful spaces for youth engagement and connect educators across regions to drive learning and action on global challenges. Alongside his professional work, he volunteers with Save the Children Italy and the SDG 4 Youth & Student Network, a global community hosted by UNESCO, and he is pursuing a PhD in Education Governance for Sustainable Development at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain. 

Isabel Hagbrink
Isabel Hagbrink

Isabel Hagbrink is a communications and climate finance specialist with more than 20 years of international experience spanning climate policy, sustainable finance, and strategic communications. She currently serves as Communications Specialist at the UNEP Climate Technology Centre & Network (CTCN), the implementation arm of the UNFCCC Technology Mechanism hosted by UNEP in Copenhagen.

Before joining CTCN, she was Director of Communications at South Pole and previously spent a decade at the World Bank leading communications for carbon and climate finance initiatives. Earlier in her career, she worked at the Inter-American Development Bank in project finance and corporate outreach and served as Vice President for the voluntary carbon market at MGM International.

Her work focuses on climate technology, sustainable development, stakeholder engagement, executive communications, and translating complex climate and finance issues into accessible narratives for global audiences.

Mark Terry
Mark Terry

Mark Terry is the Executive Director of the Youth Climate Report, a partner program of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and this year’s winner of a Sustainable Development Action Award.  

Mark teaches in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change at York University in Toronto, Canada, and is a Research Fellow at the Dahdeleh Institute for Global Health Research at York where he leads an environmental filmmaking workshop called the Planetary Health Film Lab. As an Associate to the UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education towards Sustainability, Mark continues to develop new experiential education programs aimed at incorporating the Sustainable Development Goals into curricula and extra-curricular activities such as the Plastic Pick-up Challenge.  

Mark is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the country’s highest academy. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and The Explorers Club. He has spent much of his career documenting scientific research in the field as a filmmaker and is perhaps best known for his trilogy of polar documentaries The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warning (2009), The Polar Explorer (2010), and The Changing Face of Iceland (2021).  

His work with the United Nations has been recognized with decorations from Queen Elizabeth II (Diamond Jubilee Medal for international humanitarian service), The Explorers’ Club (Stefansson Medal, the Canadian chapter’s highest honor), and the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television (Gemini Humanitarian Award).

Martina Mifsud
Martina Mifsud

Martina is by profession a dental technologist and a maxillofacial prosthetist; both fuelling her love of science and art. However, it was YRE that instilled this passion in her back in 2013, where together with a group of friends, she placed first nationally in the video category and had the privilege of attending the Sweden workshop with a group of international youth leaders. Since then, Martina has found a home in YRE; attending workshops and conferences organised by UNESCO (2018), COP24 (2018), YouthMundus (2019) and CollisionConf (2020). For a number of years she was the programme’s ambassador to her homecountry; Malta, heavily supported by the national coordinator Audrey Gauci. 

In recent years, YRE has catalysed Martina’s journey into science communication, driving her to pursue endeavours such as working as a teacher and as an explainer – utilising skills attributable to YRE. This past three years, she has been volunteering with Olio, an organisation she discovered during COP24 and which was set up to help limit food (and other household items) waste. 

For Martina, YRE is the gift that keeps on giving, and she is grateful for all the opportunities provided along the way! 

Melisa Yorgancioglu
Melisa Yorgancioglu

Melisa Yorgancioglu is an Education Specialist with 11+ years' experience in Programme Management, Partnerships and Resource Mobilisation for child rights organisations across the Humanitarian-Development nexus. Based in East Africa for 7 years followed by global roles (with Save the Children, BRAC and other INGOs), she worked primarily at the intersection of Education and Child Protection. She is currently at UNESCO as a Programme Specialist in Education for Sustainable Development, providing technical assistance to Ministries of Education on mainstreaming Climate and Sustainability into teaching and learning. With a background in Education Policy from the LSE and a passion for play-based learning, she is now specialising in Early Childhood Education and child-centred pedagogy. 

Nick Nuttall
Nick Nuttall

 Nick Nuttall is the International Strategic Communications Director of EARTHDAY.ORG and a Director at the climate social platform We Don’t Have Time. He has nearly 40 years of experience in environmental communications. He was the Environment Correspondent of The Times newspaper from 1989. In 2001 he joined the UN Environment Programme, becoming Director of Communications and Public Information/ Spokesperson/ Speechwriter to its Executive Director. Nick was also responsible for the organisation’s youth engagement. In 2014, he joined the UNFCCC as Communications Director and was the Spokesperson for the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015. Nick left the UN in 2018 to pursue a freelance communications career. Nick is among other things, also the chair of the jury of TVE’s Global Sustainability Film Awards; a backing singer for the Berlin-based Bernadette La Hengst band; passionate tennis player and a Burnley FC fan. 

Sasha Karajovic
Sasha Karajovic

Sasha Karajovic has been a member of the non-governmental organisation "ECOM – Environmental Consultancy of Montenegro" since 2001, and at the end of 2002 he became the coordinator of international projects in this NGO. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Foundation of Environmental Education.

Sasha started Blue Flag in 2003 and YRE in 2008. The last two years he has been engaged in launching the Green Key programme. In addition, Sasha is executive director of ECOM.

Parallel to activities in the NGO, he is also a journalist - an associate of the local public radio service Kotor.

Sasha is working for ECOM on a fully volunteer base and in his professional life, as an expert, he has more than 25 years of experience in spatial and urban planning; environmental, nature and cultural heritage protection and coastal area management.

Sasha is also a multi-year consultant to ministries and several municipalities in Montenegro for the field of planning and environmental protection, as well as international organisations UNDP, GIZ and ERM.

Youth AmbassadorS Jury

New for the 2025–2026 YRE International Competition, the YRE Youth Ambassador Jury brings together young creators, communicators, and changemakers passionate about environmental storytelling, youth empowerment, and climate action. Each Youth Ambassador serves as a category specialist, reviewing shortlisted entries within one competition category while bringing valuable youth perspectives into the judging process. Through their voices, platforms, and networks, they also help amplify youth environmental storytelling and strengthen the global visibility of youth-led communication and action.

Featured
Kristin Rodrigo
Kristin Rodrigo

Kristin Rodrigo is a science communicator and marketing strategist specializing in environmental storytelling and digital engagement. As Marketing and Social Media Manager at Oceanic Global, she leads strategy, content creation, and campaign development to amplify global conversations around sustainability and ocean conservation. 

With a background in zoology and a strong foundation in science communication, Kristin has built a career translating complex environmental topics into accessible, engaging narratives. She has collaborated with scientists, nonprofits, and mission-driven brands to develop campaigns that foster meaningful connections between people and the natural world. 

Alongside her professional work, Kristin is the creator behind The Sassy Zoologist, a digital platform dedicated to biodiversity and conservation education. Her work has been featured across international media, live events, and global environmental initiatives. She remains driven by a commitment to inspiring collective action and advancing environmental awareness through creative storytelling. 

Phebe Fidge Rowland
Phebe Fidge Rowland

Phebe is a marine ecologist passionate about repairing nature and mitigating the effects of climate change. She holds an Honours degree in ecology and conservation biology from the University of Queensland. Phebe has ten years of experience in environmental education and science communications, having worked in a variety of roles across the public and private sectors. Phebe is currently working with the RMIT Centre for Nature Positive Solutions on projects conserving and restoring coastal wetland ecosystems in Victoria, Australia. As a keen youth policy advocate, she is proud to co-chair the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Youth Task Force whilst acting as a thematic focal point for Nature & Ecosystems within the Children and Youth Major Group to UNEP. Phebe is excited to engage with YRE for the first time in 2026, and looks forward to connecting with other young people working hard to protect and restore their local environments.

Raksha Venugopal Shenoy Kundapura
Raksha Venugopal Shenoy Kundapura

Raksha V Shenoy K, Member of the CCIVS Youth Committee and Youth Development Program (YDP) Coordinator, FSL India.  

Raksha V Shenoy K is a youth worker and community engagement practitioner from Kundapura, Karnataka, India. She is a member of the CCIVS Youth Committee and also works as a Youth Development Program (YDP) coordinator with FSL India. She engages with young people from diverse social and economic backgrounds through volunteer programs, educational initiatives, and community-based learning spaces that foster active citizenship and social responsibility. 

Her work focuses on creating inclusive, participatory environments where young people learn through experience, reflection and collective action. Actively involved in the International Voluntary Service (IVS) movement since 2019, Raksha aims to contribute to youth participation, advocacy and global dialogue, including her strong engagement with the CCIVS Youth Committee.  

She is passionate about languages, intercultural learning, youth empowerment and building sustainable communities and is committed to ensuring that grassroots perspectives are meaningfully represented in international spaces.

Victonell Wanjohi
Victonell Wanjohi

Victonell Wanjohi is a youth leader from Nairobi, Kenya, with a strong passion for environmental sustainability, cultural heritage, and youth engagement. She has contributed to international volunteer initiatives, including heritage conservation projects under the UNESCO World Heritage Volunteers programme. She is a member of the Youth Committee of the Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service (CCIVS), where she contributes to advancing inclusive youth participation and strengthening global volunteering frameworks. Victonell also brings experience in communication and advocacy, using digital platforms and creative expression to promote environmental awareness and intercultural dialogue. She is committed to empowering young people as agents of change in building sustainable and peaceful communities.