Uwen Robert Otu

Otu, Uwem Robert hails from Ebo ItuMbonuso in Ini Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Uwem is the second child in a family of nine and has been dubbed “the natural born leader” from his heyday at the University of Uyo where he was elected the Honorable Speaker of the Students’ Union Parliament. Having been selected by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Global Youth Forum in Denmark in 2002, Uwem represented the Forum and discussed with the Heads of Government at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa in 2002. Uwem organized the first stakeholder summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Nigeria in 2004. In 2005, Uwem addressed the plenary session of the 58^th Annual Department of Public Information/Non-Governmental Organizations (DPI/NGO) Summit at the United Nation headquarters, New York and presented submissions on poverty timelines to the delegates. 

Currently, Uwem is the country representative of the Global Network for Disaster Reduction (GNDR), a platform which manages a large network of stakeholders active on climate change and disaster risk reduction. Uwem is the President of the African Youth Movement (AYM). The AYM engages the services and talents of young Africans – especially the vulnerable and marginalized ones – in working to achieve sustainable development through the MDGs. AYM delivers timely informed interventions to: ensure policies and services have a measurable, positive impact and deliver social benefits to the poor; achieve the Hyogo Framework for Action; enhance civil society monitoring, research, analytical and advocacy capabilities; and increase dialogue and understanding between different groups on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction.