Naderev 'Yeb' Saño
Philippines
Expertise:
Climate Change & Environment
Executive Director
Yeb Saño is a climate justice activist from the Philippines and serves as the executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, leading diverse operations of the environmental organization across the region. He is also the vice chair of the board of the Laudato Si’ Movement and serves on the international board of 350.org.
A veteran of the environmental movement for close to three decades, Saño has worked with local communities and international bodies involving domestic and global issues that relate to the climate crisis, including: clean energy, biodiversity, coastal and marine resources, disaster risk reduction, local governance, and human rights. Saño leads a team in the landmark human rights case filed against the top fossil fuel companies at the Commission on Human Rights.
Previously, Saño served as commissioner of the Philippines’ Climate Change Commission, the country’s leading policymaking government body on climate change. He was the Philippines’ chief negotiator in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and is widely known as a champion for climate justice and voice for developing countries in the UN. In the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, Saño delivered an emotional speech during the United Nations Climate Summit in Warsaw in 2013 and underwent 14 days of fasting in solidarity with the typhoon victims. His time as chief negotiator for the Philippines catapulted his advocacy for climate justice to global acclaim.
Saño also spent time as a spiritual ambassador for OurVoices, an international, multi-faith campaign for strong climate action and climate justice. As part of this work, he served as the pilgrim leader of the The People’s Pilgrimage, a special journey that highlights communities confronting climate impacts while manifesting resilience and spiritual strength. He also serves as co-convenor of the Asian Energy Network and of the Fight Inequality Alliance Asia. He is an active member of the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice.