03/09/2026
From climate modeling and smart agriculture to disaster preparedness, renewable energy, and circular economy solutions, AI is already reshaping how the world responds to its most pressing environmental and development challenges.
But with that power comes real responsibility: the energy AI consumes, the data it requires, the communities it leaves behind, and the governance frameworks that must sit underneath all of it.
This Saturday, we explore all of it.
Michelle Kim-Rissi is a Harvard-trained sustainability and global development professional serving with the JIVAM FOUNDATION, UN Association Canada, and the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA). A Harvard alumni awardee for social change, Michelle has spent over a decade leading work across climate resilience, environmental education, youth leadership, and health equity, with engagements at COP, UNEA, CSW, UNGA, and multilateral forums across Canada, South Korea, the UAE, Switzerland, the UK, Mexico, and beyond.
Shellan Saling is a sustainability, climate, and international development professional working at the intersection of environmental policy, corporate strategy, and applied AI. As Interim Chair of the Youth Plastics Action Network (YPAN), she leads youth coordination across 170+ countries in the first-ever UN Global Plastics Treaty negotiations, delivering formal interventions and contributing to treaty language on extended producer responsibility and sustainable materials. She has built AI-powered tools that cut regulatory analysis from 40 hours to under 30 seconds, and co-organized the MEA Bootcamp, training over 10,000 participants from 130+ countries. She holds a Master's in Development Studies from Erasmus University Rotterdam and a BA in International Relations from UC Davis. Cautiously optimistic about AI, her work focuses on turning complex policy and emerging technology into practical solutions, and ensuring young people have a real seat at the table where the rules get written.
Together, they will bring 120 young leaders from across ASEAN and South Korea through expert insights, real-world examples, and a collaborative workshop where fellows apply AI and systems thinking to SDG challenges in their own communities.
The conversation starts Saturday. ๐
Session 7 | AI for Asia Fellowship 2026
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September 5, 2026 | 2:00 PM GMT+8 | Online via Zoom