We are delighted to announce Jitsai Santaputra, Wedu Rising Star and programme participant from Thailand, as a finalist for the 2025 Wedu Women’s Leadership Awards in the Earth Advocate Award category.

Jitsai brings a creative and inclusive lens to some of Southeast Asia’s most pressing climate and energy challenges. As co-founder of Youth for Energy Southeast Asia (Y4E SEA) and the Thailand Youth Climate Council (TYCC), she has established platforms where young people and women can lead conversations on energy transition, climate resilience, and community-driven solutions.

Her approach blends storytelling, visual art, and youth policy dialogues to make complex issues more relatable and actionable. From grassroots organising to international convenings, she ensures local voices are not only heard but are meaningfully involved in shaping solutions.

At present, Jitsai is fundraising for the Southeast Asia Youth Energy Forum, due to take place in Kuala Lumpur in October 2025. The forum will bring together young leaders to co-develop a joint statement on the region’s energy transition. She also spearheaded the first youth-organised Sustainable Fashion Show at COP29, featuring over 20 outfits from seven countries. The showcase highlighted how cultural heritage and traditional craftsmanship can powerfully communicate stories of climate resilience and sustainability.

Connection to the Earth Advocate Award

Jitsai’s work is rooted in a deep understanding of Southeast Asia’s local realities—from Bangkok’s electrification plans to the fossil fuel dependency of the Philippines. She consistently champions the inclusion of women and marginalised communities in decision-making, arguing that gender equality must be seen as a core condition of sustainability.

When organising the Sustainable Fashion Show, she brought Thai artisans into a global climate space, elevating their stories of cultural resilience amid climate pressures such as crop loss from extreme weather. By doing so, she demonstrated how cultural identity, local solutions, and climate action are inseparable.

Measurable Impact

Through Y4E SEA and TYCC, Jitsai has engaged over 3,000 young people across ASEAN through workshops, lectures, and events. She built a partnership with UNESCAP to launch a regional platform for youth engagement in the energy transition, ensuring that young people have opportunities to shape policies in their own countries.

Her leadership also influenced the inclusion of youth perspectives in the Thai Pavilion at COP29, and under her guidance, gender parity became a priority in the initiatives she led. Jitsai often stands as the only young woman on global panels, using these spaces to highlight the urgency of inclusion and inspire others—especially women—to step into climate leadership.

Mobilising Change

As a connector, Jitsai works across governments, researchers, and community organisations to embed youth and women in climate and energy planning. She also serves as a mentor, through the YSEALI Women’s Leadership Academy and as a Global Youth Ambassador for Sustainable Energy for All, supporting the next generation of leaders to design projects that are inclusive and community-driven.

Her advisory roles with the Entertainment and Culture Pavilion and the Rihla Initiative for Green Economic Growth reflect her influence in shaping how institutions view gender and generational equity in climate action. She has helped secure funding for youth-led events, created new spaces for policy participation, and shifted narratives around who leads in the energy and climate sectors.

Why Jitsai Stands Out

Jitsai leads with purpose, empathy, and creativity. Her work demonstrates how inclusive leadership can bridge cultural identity, climate resilience, and systemic change. By championing the role of youth and women, she is helping to build a future where climate solutions are not only sustainable, but just.

Connect with Jitsai on LinkedIn and Instagram.

RSVP to take part in the celebrations

On September 30 we will announce the awardees of the four Wedu Women’s Leadership Awards at our digital celebration taking place at 6PM ICT. RSVP to join us