Carter Cheng
FRSA MCIArb

I am the European Focal Point of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Youth Caucus, Managing Director (London) at the Young Professionals in Foreign Policy (YPFP), Engagement Coordinator for the Democratising Education for Global Sustainability and Justice (DemEd Global) programme at the University of Cambridge, and a World Economic Forum Future 50 Leader.

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Directing the European branch of the official UNCCD youth constituency, I advise the UNCCD Secretariat on its stakeholder engagement strategies related to deforestation and desertification. Chairing the London branch of the world’s largest network of young professionals in the foreign policy space (20,000+ members globally), I am leading 7 initiatives to empower young changemakers to advocate effectively in G7, G20 and COP.

 

As the Engagement Coordinator of the DemEd Global programme at Cambridge, I coordinate the programme’s partnerships with leading institutions, including the Cambridge Bennett Institute for Public Policy and the Centre for Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Governance (CEENRG), and support 8,000+ current and future law and policy leaders from 160+ countries to access fully funded education in sustainable development law and policy.

 

As a Legal Fellow with International Lawyers Project, I advise on strategic litigation and advocacy to help local and indigenous communities in Africa combat economic injustices fuelled by deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate change.

 

Currently, I am serving on the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council and the judging panel for the FAO World Food Forum Youth Policy Board. I have experience working across the UK Cabinet Office, Spanish Ministry of Youth, United Nations ESCAP, Peking University, and the University of Hong Kong.

 

At Cambridge, my MPhil and PhD research focuses on designing governance models to turn climate tech innovation into a catalyst for equity, inclusivity and resilience. I hold an LLM (Yenching Fellow) from Peking University, an MSc in Economic History from the LSE, and a BA in International Relations (Dean's List) from the University of St Andrews.  

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