Q&A: Climate change is also a cultural crisis

Barsha Rh Lekhi, once known as Miss Nepal International 2016, has transitioned to a prominent role with UNESCO, focusing on climate change, biodiversity, and indigenous rights. She sees her past platform as a stepping stone that revealed the critical absence of indigenous voices in policy-making.

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My work with UNESCO and indigenous communities has given me a sense of purpose and belonging.

"My work with UNESCO and indigenous communities has given me a sense of purpose and belonging," Lekhi stated. "Pageantry feels distant from that." She now finds her most authentic self in the field, engaging with communities, training youth, and collaborating on policy briefs, a stark contrast to the world of beauty pageants.

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Pageantry feels distant from that.

Lekhi's journey began with an environmental science background, but a realization during a Miss Nepal recording about environmental conservation ignited her passion for indigenous rights. "That moment changed everything," she explained. Her work now involves listening to elders and youth, understanding how climate change erodes cultures and livelihoods, and advocating for the inclusion of indigenous knowledge in conservation efforts.

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That moment changed everything.

Her experience as a Tharu woman winning Miss Nepal also held significant weight, as no woman from her community had achieved such a title before. Lekhi views her former role as a "megaphone" to amplify the often-overlooked concerns of indigenous peoples and environmental issues in mainstream policy discussions.

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It was during my Miss Nepal video recording on environmental conservation that I first realised that indigenous communities were the missing voice in every policy room I ever sat in.