Anoka Abeyrathne

Anoka Abeyrathne is the Regional Coordinator for Asia at the Royal Commonwealth Society, where she leads regional sustainability and policy efforts, focusing on sustainable community building. She is also a Climate Democracy Consultant for People Powered, bridging policy gaps for communities across Africa and Asia. The Royal Commonwealth Society supports and assists Commonwealth nations in achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

Anoka also served as a Senior Regional Coordinator at Change.org, supporting country teams across Asia, Africa, and Latin America campaigning for policy changes at national and global scale. At the British Council, she was a Master Facilitator developing youth-led sustainable community development programs globally for over 3500 youth and women. As a member of the official government delegation of Sri Lanka to UNFCCC COP, she played a pivotal role in the debt swap for nature policy negotiations and the loss and damages fund for vulnerable Global South states. Her prior experiences include the United Nations, Asia Foundation, 350.org, and the Global Green Growth Institute. Anoka’s accolades include the Commonwealth Youth Award, United States Department of State – International Visitor Leadership award and ForbesWomen. She is the country’s first female World Economic Forum New Champion.

She is driven and inspired by the long-term impacts of how action now can create greater impact in the near future. Anoka holds a master’s degree from the University of Cambridge’s Judge Business School, a LLB from the University of London, and a forestry certification from Yale University.