Vanessa Nakate is honored with the Honorary Award of the German Sustainability Award because she has become one of the most important voices of a global movement that inseparably links climate action and justice.

Born in 1996 in Kampala, the activist began in 2019 as a solo striker in front of the Ugandan Parliament — a quiet protest that became the starting point of a movement. Inspired by Fridays for Future, she founded Youth for Future Africa and later the Rise Up Movement to connect young climate activists across the African continent and amplify their voices on the international stage. In doing so, she placed at the center the lived realities of those who are most affected by the climate crisis yet too often overlooked.
Vanessa Nakate understands activism as the union of conviction and action. With the Green Schools Project, she launched a program that equips schools in Uganda with solar panels and energy-efficient cooking systems. It demonstrates how local solutions can be part of a global transformation — with direct impact on education, health, and climate protection.

As a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, she carries her message far beyond Africa. At UN climate conferences, in international bodies, and in the media, she speaks about responsibility, justice, and visibility. She reminds the world that climate policy is incomplete without global fairness — and that sustainable change can only succeed when all perspectives are heard.

She gained worldwide attention in 2020 when she was cropped out of a press photo alongside other climate activists. She turned this moment of invisibility into a call for equality, diversity, and a movement that excludes no one.
Vanessa Nakate represents a generation of young people who are reshaping the climate discourse — intelligent, connected, empathetic. Her commitment unites scientific insight, social responsibility, and human dignity. She inspires millions because she shows that change begins where someone has the courage to remain visible.