Max Genin
Max Genin is a Ukro-Canadian-Israeli development scholar and international human rights lawyer, serving as Co-Chair of the Resource Mobilization Committee for the 2025–26 Salata Student Ambassadorship. He is pursuing an ALM in Global Development Practice at Harvard Extension School, where he chairs the North American Student Council for the UN SDSN’s Global MDP Association, connecting students across 35 universities in 23 countries. He recently led a 15-country climate action challenge with the World Bank, GEF, and SDSN, now expanded for seed funding and field implementation over the next two years. As an appointed Youth Advisor to the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) and Education Above All Foundation, and a proud LGBTQIA+ advocate, Max develops programs like the Youth Rights Academy, empowering youth in conflict-affected and climate-displaced regions. He also serves on the UN Interagency Working Group on Youth, guiding Member State commitments and implementation. Max is Executive Director of Afflican, advancing grassroots youth-led development in the Americas and Europe; he has led government-funded programs, written education policy, and represented youth at forums including the UN, the Vatican, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Fluent in several languages, Max’s leadership bridges human rights, climate action, and sustainable development.
The Salata Institute
The Salata Institute supports interdisciplinary research that leads to real-world action, including high-risk/high-reward projects by researchers already working in the climate area and new endeavors that make it easier for Harvard scholars, who have not worked on climate problems, to do so. Faculty interested in the Climate Research Clusters program should note an upcoming deadline for concepts on April 1, 2024.