Biography
Nguy Thi Khanh is the founder and current leader of GreenID, a non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting sustainable development in Vietnam. A trusted convener and consensus builder, she established the Vietnam Sustainable Energy Alliance, a network of 11 Vietnamese and international environmental organizations that collaborate on regional energy issues.
Recognized globally for her efforts, Khanh was named one of the “World’s 100 Most Influential People in Climate Policy” by Apolitical in 2019. Before her leadership at GreenID, Khanh served as the Deputy Director of the Center for Water Resources Conservation and Development (WARECOD) from 2008 to 2011.
She also worked as a project coordinator at the Centre for Sustainable Community Development (S-CODE) from 2005 to 2007, where she laid the foundation for her ongoing commitment to sustainable development and environmental protection.
Khanh is remarkable not only in the scope and scale of her vision, but also in her proven ability to be an incredibly effective leader in a challenging social and political context. She stands out as one of few strong women leaders in Vietnam helping launch a paradigm shift within the power sector—an industry that is often slow and reluctant to change.
Bringing together scientists, experts, media, and civil society, Khanh’s work with GreenID has helped key leaders and the public increase their understanding of the health and community risks of coal while highlighting another path forward through clean energy and energy efficiency. In 2018, she became the first Vietnamese to receive a Goldman Environmental Prize.
“The Southeast Asia region has a lot of potential for solar, on-land, and offshore wind. We also have a lot of avenues for collaboration in this region to accelerate the energy transition,” she said.
Breakthrough Program
Khanh was selected for the Climate Breakthrough Award program in 2019.
Vietnam has vast potential for renewable energy and energy efficiency, but several barriers hinder its green transition including a lack of government ambition and limited expertise for renewable energy development. Khanh wants to develop a groundbreaking multipronged strategy to remove those barriers through engaging stakeholders and diplomatic efforts, building movements and networks, clean energy financing campaigns, and raising public awareness.
If successful in Vietnam, this work can contribute to the clean energy movement in Southeast Asia.
Some of those campaigns include enacting supportive policies for renewables and electric vehicles, building an ecosystem of green financing options, and supporting the creation of the human and physical capacity needed to support a thriving clean energy market. Additionally, Khanh knows it’s equally important to raise awareness among the public and decision-makers that clean energy and energy efficiency can reliably power Vietnam’s growing economy as well as reduce air pollution to safeguard public health.
“The energy transition is inevitable; it’s happening everywhere. It takes efforts to take advantage of this trend and requires governments to strengthen their targets for renewable energy,” she said.