Help Maryam Advocate for Indigenous Voices at COP

Hello, my name is Maryam and I'm an indigenous climate change activist and organizer from Pakistan. In the past 21 years of my life, I have experienced four mega floods and one prolonged drought, with every memory I have being tainted by climate change.

Despite this, we have never had a seat at the table. From climate policy to adaptation funds, our stories are told at every COP, but we are never included in the decisions that will transform our lives at the frontlines. While the Pakistani state brutalizes my community through enforced disappearances and deprive us of life saving aid, their delegations go to climate change conferences and argue for compensation. This is not fair. We are not voiceless.

In 2022, I experienced the worst flood of my life, leaving me worried about the survival of my family who were camped alongside 3500+ people surrounded by floodwater. To support them and 30,000+ flood impacted people across the country, I started an organization and fundraised $120,000 for flood relief and rehabilitation. This experience changed my life. As proud as I am for having the privilege and honor to serve my community, the horrors I witnessed that year have changed my life. From trying to evacuate hundreds of people with flood water just hours away to witnessing pregnant women dying because they did not have access to blood pressure medication and antibiotics, climate change has left a permanent mark on me. This is an existential crisis for us.

My people deserve better than this. We deserve to have representation at COP that advocates for our autonomy and agency rather than speaking over us and leaving us at the mercy of the top-down aid model that has left us dependent on the global north with no resources for building climate change resilience. This year, I was able to get accreditation for COP but need your support to pay for accommodation and travel. With your support and solidarity, I will be able to attend and change the status quo by advocating for indigenous led climate action, locally led adaptation, and devolved decision making and finance.