Carter Cheng

Global Shaper, London II Hub

Carter is the European Focal Point of the UNCCD Youth Caucus, Managing Director (London) of 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.

Directing the European branch of the official UNCCD youth constituency, Carter advises the UNCCD Secretariat on its youth 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), Carter is 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, Carter coordinates 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 supports 8,000+ current and future law and policy leaders from 160+ countries to access funded education in sustainable development law and policy.

As a Legal Fellow with International Lawyers Project, Carter takes on the tough fights, using strategic litigation and advocacy to help indigenous communities in Africa to combat economic injustices fuelled by deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate change.

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

At Cambridge, Carter’s MPhil and upcoming PhD research focuses on designing governance models to turn climate tech innovation into a catalyst for equity, inclusivity and resilience. She holds an LLM (Yenching Fellow) from Peking University, an MSc in Economic History (Research) from the London School of Economics, and a BA in International Relations (Dean's List) from the University of St Andrews.

Email: wyc45@cam.ac.uk | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/carterwycheng