UK PM Rishi Sunak Confers 7-year-old Indian-origin Girl With Points Of Light Award

Moksha has been the world’s youngest sustainability advocate who started advocating against microplastic pollution when she was just 3 years old.

Indian-origin Girl: Moksha Roy, a 7-year-old Indian-origin girl, was honoured by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with the Points of Light award on 13 July and commended by Oliver Dowden, United Kingdom’s Deputy Prime Minister for her continued advocacy for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs).

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According to media reports, Moksha has been the world’s youngest sustainability advocate who started advocating against microplastic pollution when she was just 3 years old, supported by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the UN task force. At age 5, she wrote letters to all 193 world leaders, urging them to introduce the UNSDGs into their national curriculums, to ensure children can learn about the SDGs and then act on major global issues ranging from climate change, gender inequality, and plastic pollution. World leaders replied commending her and promising to implement her request.

Amongst others, Moksha received a public commendation from President Paula-Mae Weekes, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago: “Like Moksha, Malala and Greta, we all have a role to play in safeguarding the future and sustainability of our world”.

The UK government commended her for her timely request and included her request in the Department for Education’s Sustainability and Climate Change strategy, which has now been rolled out to over 16 million children and young people in the UK.

Moksha is the daughter of NRIs, Dr Ragini G Roy and Dr Sourav Roy and the great-granddaughter of President Award winner, Shyama Charan Ghosh who served as Netaji’s close confidante and comrade, his radio engineer and later as president of Netaji’s Indian National Army (INA).

Moksha continues to educate young people about sustainability in the UK and is reaching millions of children around the world through radio, press, and online platforms.

Moksha said, “I am very happy to receive the Points of Light award. I hope both children and adults get to understand that caring for the planet and its people and making small changes to everyday life should not be just for a few. It is just like brushing our teeth. We brush our teeth to care for it and avoid pain, similarly, we can take care of the planet not for anyone else, but just us, to be safe.

“Each and every one of us can do small things in their own lives, work and community to combat the big challenges such as climate change, pollution, poverty and inequality. It is only when everyone starts taking positive actions, can we have a safer planet and a sustainable future.”