Greenpeace Southeast Asia welcomes Naderev ‘Yeb’ Saño as the new executive director

By GREENPEACE
February 1, 2016

MANILA – Greenpeace Southeast Asia today announced the appointment of high-profile climate activist Naderev ‘Yeb’ Saño as Executive Director.

Yeb has an exemplary track record participating in and leading the world’s environmental movement. Greenpeace is confident he will boost the organization’s work to ensure a greener, cleaner and more peaceful future for all people in Southeast Asia, including global efforts to tackle catastrophic climate change.

Greenpeace Southeast Asia Regional Board Chair, Suzy Hutomo said: “We are pleased to welcome Yeb Saño as Executive Director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia. We are confident that he will advance work to change attitudes and behaviors to protect and conserve the environment and promote peace to protect our fragile earth from destruction. Together we will achieve our goal of environmental justice."

Born in Manila, the Philippines, Yeb Saño has dedicated his career to ending climate change. His history of climate activism spans over 20 years. He headed up the World Wildlife Fund’s energy and climate program before he was appointed as the Philippine’s Climate Change Commissioner in 2010.

In his capacity as Lead Climate Negotiator for the Philippines at the UNFCCC in Warsaw, 2013, he raised urgency for immediate action on climate change. He urged countries around the world to deliver strong and binding climate commitments. At the start of this conference, he embarked on a two-week fast, joined by thousands of people around the world.

He also made an impassioned speech as he addressed delegates in Warsaw. Just days before, Typhoon Haiyan ripped through the Philippines, killing more than 6,000 people. It was the strongest storm of its type ever to be documented. Saño appealed to officials to take seriously the issue of climate change.

He said: “Many poor countries will suffer more should we fail to act. Now is the time to act.”

Yeb joins Greenpeace with the firm belief that the solution to the world’s ecological crisis does not exist in the corridors of power, but by catalyzing an interconnected, global movement of people.

“Our planet is facing threats that we’ve never seen before, and there is no question that we must find ways of living with our planet within its ecological limits. That is why I decided to have my next journey with Greenpeace.