PH’s Yeb Saño appointed as Greenpeace Southeast Asia head

Naderev “Yeb” Saño . AP PHOTO

Filipino climate campaigner and former climate envoy Naderev “Yeb” Saño has been appointed as the new executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

Greenpeace Southeast Asia said it was “thrilled” to welcome Saño as its new head, noting that “it’s not every day you get to welcome a veteran and high-profile climate activist” to the organization.

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“We are pleased to welcome Yeb Saño. We are confident that he will lead Greenpeace Southeast Asia to achieve our ambitious goal of protecting Southeast Asia’s natural heritage from destruction,” Greenpeace Southeast Asia regional board chair Suzy Hutomo said in a statement.

“Under Yeb’s tenure, Greenpeace will continue working together with other social and environmental movements to achieve our common goal. With the support of the people, we know that we can achieve social and environmental justice,” she added.

Saño served as climate change commissioner of the Philippines before stepping down in April last year. He also led a 60-day global pilgrimage to Paris in 2015 ahead of the UN Climate Change Summit.

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Saño made headlines and drew praises around the world in 2013 after making an emotional appeal before a UN conference in Warsaw, Poland. In his speech, an emotional Saño cried and blamed global warming as the culprit of the damages caused by super typhoon “Yolanda.” CDG

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