Jakarta, Indonesia
2022 G20 Youth Summit
The Summit will bring together youth delegates from all G20 member countries and observers to negotiate, collaborate, and develop a youth communiqué that will be presented to the G20 Presidency.
The Summit will take place in-person in the summer. The five themes that will be addressed during the conference include: 1) the fight against hunger, poverty and inequality; 2) Climate change, energy transition and sustainable development; 3) Global governance reform 4) Inclusion and diversity 5) Innovation and the future of work.
This year’s Y20 delegation is an accomplished group of young Canadians from across the country. Delegates will aim to push for policies that address the thematic questions of this year's Y20 Summit while ensuring that the voices of Canada’s youth are represented on the global stage.The Summit will bring together youth delegates from all G20 member countries and observers to negotiate, collaborate, and develop a youth communiqué that will be presented to the G20 Presidency.
Sameer Esmail, Head Delegate
Sameer Esmail is a 4th-year Bachelor of Arts and Master of Management student at the University of British Columbia (UBC), specializing in International Relations. He is an open-minded and passionate leader who is committed to advancing the ideal of global citizenship.
Sameer currently works as a Junior Analyst with Global Affairs Canada in the Asia-Pacific Branch. Before joining the federal government, Sameer worked in the Political/Economic Section at the U.S. Consulate General in Vancouver. He previously worked with Young Diplomats of Canada as a Delegate & Communications Coordinator to the 2021 OECD Forum.
Sameer volunteers with many organizations in the Metro Vancouver region including the Advisory Council with the UN Association in Canada's Vancouver Branch. At UBC, Sameer is a Student Ambassador and a Vice President of the Student Alumni Council. Sameer is currently the Government Relations Lead for the Ismaili Council of British Columbia.
Sameer is an avid public speaker and global public policy enthusiast with a passion for digital transformation in governance and foreign affairs. Throughout his many experiences, he has understood the importance of youth voices in shaping our world’s future. Sameer will bring a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach with him as the Head Delegate at the Y20 Summit in July.
Olivier Li is a public policy professional, regional planner and intercultural bridge-builder. He is passionate about the intersection of regional development, labour and workforce development, agglomeration economies, innovation and creativity. He holds a MPhil in Planning, Growth and Regeneration (Merit) from the University of Cambridge and a BA in Sociology and Political Science (First Class with Distinction) from McGill University, where he studied abroad at Sciences Po Paris.
Olivier has extensive experience in international affairs. He currently serves as a Policy Analyst in at Employment and Social Development Canada, where he works on the negotiation and implementation of labour provisions on behalf of Canada in free trade agreements such as Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and Canada-Indonesia CEPA.
Prior to joining the Public Service of Canada, Olivier was awarded a 2018 Policy and Data Science Fellowship at the Conference Board of Canada and researched on sectoral innovation and the knowledge economy in North America. As a McBurney Latin America Fellow, he worked on information advocacy strategy at the United Nations World Food Programme. He also conducted policy research at Brookings-Tsinghua Center for Public Policy and G20 Research Group. He is fluent in English, French and Mandarin Chinese and conversational in Spanish.
Jodi-Ann Joe Xuan Wang, Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator
Jodi-Ann Jue Xuan Wang is a proud Chinese Canadian currently living in London, UK, where she works as a Climate Policy Analyst at the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment. Calling White Rock, British Columbia her home, Jodi-Ann is passionate about climate resilience-building, inclusive policy-making, and the effective delivery of climate finance globally in a just and inclusive manner.
Jodi-Ann holds an MPhil in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge, with a thesis on the political economy of the Green Belt and Road Initiative. At Cambridge, she served as the Co-President of the Cambridge Society of Social and Economic Development, Co-Producer of the Cambridge Development Podcast, and was also a Carnegie-Tsinghua Young Ambassador. She received her BA in International Relations with High Honors from Kenyon College in Ohio, USA, for which she spent 13 months conducting fieldwork in China and Ghana on bilateral entrepreneurial migration, the contested belonging of migrants, and Sino-African trade and investment.
As a Y20 2022 delegate and the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Coordinator for the Canadian delegation, Jodi-Ann looks forward to engaging diverse perspectives and furthering tangible outcomes on key issues, while continuing to amplify youth voices to influence policy decisions.
Brandon Nguyen, Communications Coordinator
Brandon Nguyen is pursuing a Master’s in Environmental Economics and Climate Change at the London School of Economics as a Rotary Global Scholar. Born in Toronto, he completed a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Policy from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. He currently works as a Junior Associate at Terranomics, a consultancy specialized in climate and conservation finance.
Previously, he has interned at McKinsey & Company as a consultant, the United Nations Environment Programme as a pro-bono consultant, the Centre for Clean Air Policy as a Climate Finance Policy Intern, Greenlearning Canada as a Program Manager and EcoSpark as a Communications Intern. He has also served on the Board of Directors for the Sierra Club Canada Foundation.
Aside from his professional career, his research interests include environmental racism, energy policy and multilateral governance of natural resources. His advocacy and research have led him to being selected as a Top 30 Under 30 in Sustainability, a Global 30 Under 30 in Environmental Education and a Top 25 Environmentalist Under 25 in Canada. He hopes to focus on advocating for more ambitious policy commitments at the intersection of climate and global environmental justice at the Y20 Summit in Indonesia.
Olivier Li, Engagement Coordinator