Onlykashmir.in Desk
With over 12 years of experience in the social sector, Bincy Narakassery is a global advocate, writer and youth leader whose work spans peace, leadership, climate action, law and social change. Founder of The Renaissance and Quiz India, she has engaged with UN and Commonwealth platforms and has received national and international recognition for her work. In an exclusive interview with onlykashmir.in, she speaks about her early life, academic journey, role as a UN Youth Representative, climate action, COP-31 and the growing need for climate justice.
Q.1: Tell us about your early days, especially your academic life.
Bincy Narakassery: I was born into a well-known family in Vakayad, Kozhikode, Kerala, India, as the daughter of a farming couple and the granddaughter of freedom fighter Narakassery Kelappan Master. He famously declined the freedom fighter’s pension, believing that patriotism should not be motivated by remuneration. That principle of selfless service has remained an important part of my family legacy.
I completed my schooling up to the higher secondary level in my village, studying at a Malayalam-medium school. From an early age, I was an avid reader, and I still consider myself a readaholic. I was also an all-rounder who actively participated in almost every aspect of school life, except sports.
Leadership and creative expression became important parts of my academic journey. I served as the School Youth Festival Leader and Student Editor of our award-winning school magazine. During my higher secondary education, I was also recognised as a Hindi Sahitya Prathibha for my proficiency and interest in Hindi literature.
Looking back, my early academic years were not simply about education; they were where my curiosity, leadership, love for reading and commitment to public engagement began to take shape.
I pursued my first degree at Providence Women’s College, Kozhikode, the first women’s college in the history of Kozhikode. It was there that my passion for quizzing truly flourished. I actively participated in intercollegiate competitions and went on to win quizzing and writing titles, including the Mathrubhumi Ever-Rolling Trophy.
My college years also gave me opportunities to explore leadership and communication. I served as the Editor of the Hostel Magazine and was recommended for the positions of Department Magazine Editor and candidate for the University Union Council election. I also had the opportunity to participate in an All India Radio programme during my college years. Today, I am honoured to be included among the institution’s notable alumni.
Later, I cleared the Kerala Law Entrance Examination and joined Government Law College, Kozhikode, the first law college in the history of Kozhikode, to pursue law. That phase of my life brought significant personal challenges. However, I did not allow that difficult period to define the trajectory of my life.
After two years, I returned with renewed determination and went on to win the Inter-University Gandhi Quiz Championship for two consecutive years, as well as an Inter-University Writing Championship. Achieving these milestones became one of the most transformative chapters of my journey.
For me, those years taught an enduring lesson: circumstances can interrupt a journey, but they do not have to determine its destination.
Following my academic journey in law, I was selected for an M.A. in Gandhian Studies at Gujarat Vidyapith, Ahmedabad, with a scholarship. The institution was founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920 during the Non-Cooperation Movement, and studying there gave me an opportunity to engage deeply with Gandhian philosophy, social transformation and public service.
I later joined Civil Services Examination coaching at BYJU’S IAS and Kalhan IAS Academy in Delhi. However, as my aspirations evolved, I made a conscious decision to move beyond the conventional civil services pathway and pursue a broader global career, where I could work across countries, institutions and international platforms.
Looking back, each stage of my academic journey—from a Malayalam-medium school in my village to Gandhian Studies in Ahmedabad and civil services preparation in Delhi—expanded my understanding of the world and gradually shaped my ambition to contribute on a much wider global stage.
From my early years, three interests became central to my personality: quizzing, writing and leadership. Quizzing nurtured my curiosity and love for knowledge, while writing helped me develop my voice and ability to communicate. Through school and college activities, I also took on leadership responsibilities and gradually developed a strong interest in social engagement and public service. These early experiences became the foundation for my later academic, professional and global journey.
Those formative years shaped me in four important ways: curiosity, resilience, public service and a global outlook. Reading and quizzing developed my curiosity and encouraged me to keep learning beyond the classroom. The challenges I faced during my academic journey strengthened my resilience and taught me to rebuild with determination. My early leadership and social engagement nurtured a sense of responsibility towards society. Over time, these experiences expanded my perspective from my village and state to India and the wider world, shaping my aspiration to contribute meaningfully on a global platform.
My academic journey gradually became the foundation for my professional life. Quizzing and writing strengthened my research, communication and analytical abilities; law developed my understanding of institutions, rights and governance; and Gandhian Studies deepened my commitment to social transformation and public service. These experiences eventually led me towards the social sector and international engagement, where I found an opportunity to bring together knowledge, leadership, communication and a broader global perspective.
Q.2: Tell us about your journey as a UN Youth Representative.
Bincy Narakassery: My social-sector journey began in 2012 with my global initiative, The Renaissance, which I initially started as a personal journey towards mental peace, happiness and contentment after a difficult phase in my life. Over time, it evolved into my life purpose and my commitment to social transformation.
My first major entry into the global social sector came in 2019 through the United Nations. I was introduced to the Gandhi Global Family, a UN-affiliated peace organisation headquartered in Jammu and Kashmir, after my leadership performance was noticed at the National Youth Project in New Delhi, founded by the eminent Gandhian Dr S. N. Subbarao.
Interestingly, I had dreamt of being honoured at the United Nations when I was in the sixth grade. Becoming a UN Youth Representative in 2019 felt like the fulfilment of a childhood dream.
As a UN Youth Representative, I focused particularly on quality education for indigenous communities under SDG 4.5. My interest was shaped by my experiences in the Virampur tribal area of Gujarat, where I witnessed the less visible side of development, particularly the challenges surrounding basic infrastructure and education. I became determined to contribute towards creating better educational opportunities for indigenous children and even developed a vision of establishing a school for them.
As part of my work, I undertook research on indigenous communities and interviewed Sreedhanya Suresh, the first IAS officer from Kerala’s indigenous community. That conversation gave me deeper insight into the continuing challenges faced by indigenous communities, including educational dropouts and substance-related social problems.
Being selected alongside Erica Rodgers from the United States was an important milestone. More than a recognition, however, the UN Youth Representative experience became a turning point in both my personal life and my global social-sector journey. It transformed a childhood aspiration into a larger sense of purpose and strengthened my conviction that local realities can—and must—find a voice on global platforms.
Q.3: What specific outcomes are you hoping to push for at COP-31?
Bincy Narakassery: At COP-31, I would like to see stronger movement from commitments to measurable implementation. In particular, I would push for greater access to climate finance for vulnerable communities and developing countries, stronger youth participation in climate decision-making, and practical support for locally led climate solutions.
I also believe climate action has to be connected with social justice, especially for communities that contribute the least to the climate crisis but face some of its greatest consequences.
For me, COP-31 should not only produce ambitious declarations; it should create clear mechanisms, accountability and measurable outcomes that can be felt at the community level.
Q.4: What is there for small states at COP-31?
Bincy Narakassery: For small island states, COP-31 should be about moving from vulnerability to meaningful resilience—ensuring that climate finance is accessible, adaptation is properly funded, ocean protection is strengthened, and the voices of small states are reflected in decisions that directly affect their survival and future.
Q.5: What are the benefits of CYCN programmes?
Bincy Narakassery: The Commonwealth Youth Climate Change Network programmes provide young people with much more than training. They create a platform to develop climate policy and advocacy skills, engage with international climate processes, and connect with young leaders across the Commonwealth.
They also help young people translate global climate discussions into practical, community-level action. For me, one of their greatest strengths is that these programmes give young people the confidence, networks and policy understanding to move from being observers of climate change to becoming active participants in shaping climate solutions.
Ultimately, they strengthen meaningful youth participation in climate decision-making while building a stronger generation of climate leaders across the Commonwealth.
Q.6: How did COP-30 put climate pledges into action?
Bincy Narakassery: COP-30 in Belém marked an important shift from making climate commitments to focusing more strongly on implementation. The Belém Political Package strengthened the implementation of nationally determined contributions, transparency and climate finance, while the wider action agenda highlighted practical initiatives in clean energy, sustainable fuels, adaptation and green investment.
COP-30 also advanced the Baku-to-Belém process towards mobilising $1.3 trillion a year in climate finance by 2035.
However, I would not say that COP-30 itself delivered the implementation of all climate pledges. The real test lies in what governments, businesses and communities do after COP.
For me, the significance of COP-30 is that it strengthened the bridge between commitments, finance, measurable action and accountability. That is the implementation gap that COP-31 now needs to address even more strongly.
Q.7: What is your take on the impact of climate change on South Asia?
Bincy Narakassery: South Asia is one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change because of its large population, dependence on the monsoon, coastal exposure and high levels of socioeconomic vulnerability.
We are already seeing more intense heat, floods, droughts, cyclones and changing rainfall patterns, with serious consequences for agriculture, water security, health, livelihoods and infrastructure. The IPCC also identifies increasing heat stress, water deficits, extreme rainfall and sea-level rise as major risks for the region.
However, I do not think South Asia should be viewed only through the lens of vulnerability. It also has enormous potential to lead on climate solutions.
My priority would be strengthening adaptation and resilience through climate finance, early-warning systems, climate-resilient infrastructure, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and stronger regional cooperation. Most importantly, climate action must protect the poorest and most vulnerable communities, because they often have the least capacity to absorb these shocks.
For South Asia, climate action is not only an environmental imperative; it is also a development, economic and social-justice imperative.
Q.8: How great is the need for climate justice?
Bincy Narakassery: The need for climate justice is enormous because the climate crisis is also an issue of inequality. Countries and communities that have contributed relatively little to global emissions can face some of the most severe consequences while often having fewer financial and technological resources to respond.
The UN climate framework itself recognises that countries differ greatly in their contributions to climate change and their capacity to respond.
For me, climate justice means ensuring that climate finance reaches the communities that need it most, strengthening adaptation and resilience, addressing loss and damage, and ensuring that the transition to a green economy does not create new inequalities.
It also means giving vulnerable countries, indigenous communities, women, young people and local communities a meaningful voice in climate decision-making.
Ultimately, climate justice is about making climate action fair, inclusive and accountable. We cannot achieve a sustainable future if the people who are most vulnerable are left to carry the greatest burden of the crisis.
Climate justice is not charity; it is about fairness, responsibility and ensuring that no community is left behind in the transition.
Q.9: What is your message?
Bincy Narakassery: My message is simple: climate action cannot remain only a promise. It has to become a shared responsibility and a lived reality. We need stronger climate justice, meaningful youth participation and greater support for vulnerable communities and small states.
I believe young people should not be treated merely as beneficiaries of climate policies, but as partners and decision-makers in shaping solutions. My own journey has taught me that even difficult circumstances can be transformed into purpose and action.
As we move towards COP-31 and beyond, I hope we can build a world where climate ambition is matched by implementation, solidarity and justice. Every generation has a responsibility to leave behind a healthier, more sustainable and more equitable planet.
