Global volunteer effort marks major milestone in environmental stewardship
[5 June 2026] In just over one year, the Ismaili Muslim community’s Roots for Change initiative has reached a significant milestone: over one million trees planted worldwide, through volunteer-led environmental activities across multiple regions and ecosystems demonstrating the power of collective action in addressing climate change and advancing environmental stewardship.
Launched during the Globul Encounters Festival 2025 in Dubai and spearheaded by Ismaili CIVIC in collaboration with Global Encounters, the initiative set out to support tree planting and community engagement activities ahead of Earth Day 2026 as part of broader sustainability efforts across the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN).
Volunteers across 17 countries participated in planting and stewardship activities adapted to local contexts, including mangrove planting, community greening, agroforestry support, and landscape rehabilitation initiatives.
“As stewards of Allah’s creation, we are called to leave the world better than we found it. One million trees, planted by tens of thousands of hands across the globe, reflects what is possible when a community is united by purpose, guided by values, and moved to act. This spirit of service will carry this work forward for generations to come.”
Malik Talib, Chairman, Leaders International Forum.
The campaign’s reach was supported through partnerships and local environmental initiatives coordinated by Ismaili CIVIC
In India, the Ismaili community planted thousands of trees since the launch of Roots for Change, demonstrating long-term commitment to environmental stewardship and climate action. Tree plantation drives were organised across major cities including Mumbai, Hyderabad, Raipur, Surat and Pune, as well as numerous towns and rural communities across Gujarat, Telangana and Maharashtra among other states.
These events have brought together enthusiastic volunteers of all ages, including individuals with special needs, local communities and collaborating partners, reflecting a shared commitment towards creating greener, healthier and more sustainable environments.
The initiative has also received support and recognition from several state and municipal dignitaries, underscoring the importance of collaborative action in advancing environmental sustainability.
Asif Porbanderwala, President of the Ismaili Council for India, remarked, “India is our home and our motherland. Planting these trees is more than an act of environmental restoration it is an investment in the future and a reflection of our shared responsibility to care for the planet. Secing volunteers of all ages come together in this effort has been truly inspiring. Through these collective actions, we are creating a legacy for future generations and contributing to a greener, healthier India.”
Several countries partnered with AlterCOP30, a volunteer-led grassroots dialogue platform held to complement the annual UN Climate Change Conference (COP) a global forum to encourage community participation and exchange on climate sustainability issues. In Portugal, the AlterCOP conference was inaugurated in partnership with the Aga Khan Foundation, bringing together experts and policymakers to discuss climate resilience, wildfire risks, and shared responsibility,
What set Roots for Change apart is its reach across generations. From elderly citizens to schoolchildren, participants came together in over 3,600 events globally to share a sense of purpose a belief that environmental guardianship is a collective, intergenerational responsibility. Families, schools, and local communities participated in activities intended to encourage long-term stewardship and awareness of environmental challenges at local level. The initiative stands as a compelling example of what grassroots environmental action can achieve, and a reminder that when communities act together, the impact can be profound.
The Global Encounters Festival itself embodied the values it sought to promote. “One of our key pronties was sustainability,” said Zahra Kassam, Executive Officer of Global Encounters. With more than 25,000 participants at the event, we recognised that our role extended beyond delivering a world-class Festival- we had a responsibility to reduce environmental impacts where feasible and encourage responsible practices.”
Through International Renewable Energy Certificates sourced from the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai, the Festival matched onsite consumption with 100% renewable energy. Some 90,000 single-use water bottles were diverted from landfills through water walls and flow metres, uniforms were made from recycled materials, and 26,810 individuals across 79 countries took a Sustainability Pledge committing to practical actions across water, energy, waste, and food. The tree-planting and environmental stewardship activities undertaken globally further extended community participation in broader environmental engagement efforts linked to the Festival.
The one million trees milestone reflects the Shia Ismaili Muslim community’s deepest values -and is proof that when faith moves people to act together, the impact is profound and lasting. Ismaili CIVIC volunteers will continue post-planting stewardship, monitoring, and maintenance activities to support the long-term survival of trees planted.
About Global Encounters:
Global Encounters unites and elevates the community through transformational experiences that leverage and advance shared identity, global presence, and individual talent and spirit, uplifting the communities in which we live. Global Encounters works across three domains: Youth Leadership and Development, Arts, Culture & Heritage; and Sports and Fitness.
About Ismaili CIVIC:
Ismaili CIVIC is a global programme under which the Shia Ismaili Muslim community across the world has united around its centuries old tradition of serving humanity by rendering voluntary service to improve the quality of life of the communities in which they live, regardless of faith, gender and background. This international endeavour reflects the community’s ethic of civic engagement and good citizenship, exemplifying Islam’s core values of service, peace, compassion and care for the vulnerable.
About the Ismaili Community:
The Shia Ismaili Muslim community is a culturally diverse community living in over 35 countries around the world. Led by His Highness Prince Rahim Aga Khan V, the community adheres to a 1,400 year tradition of Shi’a values that are expressed through a commitment to a search for knowledge for the betterment of self and society, embracing pluralism by building bridges of peace and understanding, and generously sharing of one’s time, talents, and material resources to improve the quality of life of the community and those among whom they live:
