A rising voice for climate justice and sustainable energy from the Eastern Caribbean has earned a critical global platform, as 27-year-old Saint Lucian environmental advocate Genesis Alfred will take up the post of Caribbean regional representative on the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Youth Council for the 2026 to 2028 term.
Alfred’s appointment comes as small island developing states across the Caribbean, which bear some of the most severe consequences of climate change despite contributing the least to global carbon emissions, continue pushing for greater representation in global energy transition conversations. Her new role on the IRENA Youth Council will not only expand opportunities for youth participation across the renewable energy sector but also create a formal space to center Caribbean community perspectives in international decision-making around the shift away from fossil fuels.
Currently, Alfred serves as programme manager for the Caribbean Climate Justice Project (CCJP) Youth Innovators for Renewable and Inclusive Energy, better known as Youth IRIE, a regional initiative dedicated to addressing the disproportionate climate impacts faced by young people and vulnerable populations across the Caribbean. Appointed to this leadership position in 2025, Alfred oversees the initiative’s cross-regional programming, which centers four core priorities: advancing climate justice, expanding access to sustainable energy, building local capacity for environmental action, and scaling youth-led solutions to pressing regional climate and energy challenges. Through Youth IRIE, Alfred and her team work to elevate young people’s advocacy, pushing for a faster, more equitable global transition to renewable energy that centers the needs of frontline communities.
The IRENA Youth Council, a global body that brings together rising youth leaders, young policymakers, clean energy entrepreneurs, and energy sector specialists from every inhabited region, exists specifically to strengthen and institutionalize youth participation in the global energy transition. The council’s core mandate includes developing actionable, on-the-ground strategies to support youth-led innovation, expand universal access to affordable clean energy, and speed up the large-scale deployment of renewable energy technologies around the world.
Members of the 2026–2028 Youth Council cohort were selected through a rigorous, competitive global application process, with organizers prioritizing both geographic representation and gender balance to ensure the council reflects the full diversity of stakeholders impacted by the global energy transition. Alfred’s selection marks a key win for underrepresented small island nations in the Caribbean, which have long called for more equitable seating at global climate and energy governance tables.
Professionally, Alfred holds an accredited Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science and Ecology from the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus, one of the region’s leading academic institutions for environmental research and training. She is currently advancing her academic expertise through a master’s degree programme in Natural Resources and Environmental Management at the university’s Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES), where she is building advanced research skills focused on sustainable resource governance for small island states.