Nobel Laureates Head to Kenya for Climate Justice Summit

Women who've changed the world are coming together in Nairobi to inspire the next generation of environmental defenders.

Four Nobel Peace Prize laureates will travel to Kenya in March 2026 to celebrate Wangari Maathai Day and champion climate justice alongside emerging women leaders. The visit honors the late Kenyan environmentalist who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for planting over 30 million trees and standing up for democracy.

The Rooted and Rising programme kicks off March 3, 2026, with celebrations at Karura Forest in Nairobi, one of the green spaces Maathai fought to protect. The next day, Nobel winners and young activists will gather at the Serena Hotel for a full day of sharing strategies and building connections.

Jody Williams from the United States, who won her Nobel in 1997 for banning landmines, will join the delegation. Iranian human rights defender Shirin Ebadi, honored in 2003, is also expected to attend.

Oleksandra Matviichuk represents Ukraine's Center for Civil Liberties, which won the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize for documenting war crimes and protecting human dignity. Leymah Gbowee from Liberia, who received the prize in 2011 for leading the women's movement that ended her country's brutal civil war, rounds out the group.

The Nobel Women's Initiative organized the gathering alongside the Wangari Maathai Foundation and the Green Belt Movement, the tree planting organization Maathai founded in 1977. These groups wanted to create space for experienced leaders to pass their knowledge to women on the front lines of climate action today.

Why This Inspires

This gathering proves that the best way to solve global problems is by connecting people who've actually done it. These four women didn't just win prizes for talking about change. They risked their lives, faced down armies and governments, and built movements that transformed entire nations.

Now they're choosing to spend their time lifting up the next wave of environmental defenders. At a moment when climate activists face increasing threats and women's rights are under pressure worldwide, this mentorship matters more than ever.

Young women fighting to protect forests, defend water rights, and hold polluters accountable will sit across from leaders who know exactly what that battle feels like. They'll learn not just strategies, but how to sustain hope when the work gets hard.

The gathering in Nairobi sends a clear message: women's leadership on climate and peace isn't just nice to have, it's essential for survival.