---
title: "Chom Chaiyabut, Thailand"
date: 2025-04-18T12:49:00+00:00
author: admin
canonical_url: "https://globalassemblies.org/story/chom-chaiyabut-thailand"
section: GCA Story
---
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 Chom Chaiyabut, Thailand# From Village Roots to Global Voice

 [Watch his story](#videoSection) Or scroll down to read 

 

 

  ### Rooted in land, moved to protect it

###### Chom grew up in Thailand’s culturally diverse southern border provinces,   
where Thai Muslims, Buddhists, and ethnic Chinese communities live   
side by side. Raised by his grandmother in Songkhla, he spent his life   
close to nature—working in agriculture and staying connected to the forests,   
rivers, and coastlines that shaped his identity.After witnessing   
environmental destruction elsewhere, he returned home with a mission   
—restoring local ecosystems and inspiring others to help protect their   
shared land.

 

   ![image slide 1](/uploads/img8.jpg) 

 

 ![image slide 1](/uploads/GCA_Chom4.png) 

 

 ![image slide 1](/uploads/GCA_Chom3.png) 

 

 

 

  ### A citizen’s voice at the Global Assembly

###### In 2021, Chom was selected to join the first Global Citizens’ Assembly. Though he had never travelled abroad and spoke no English, he embraced the opportunity—engaging in the process from his home country, Thailand, and delivering part of the People’s Declaration at COP26.

 

   ![story quote image](/uploads/story-people2.png) 

  ![quote image](https://globalassemblies.org/images/quote.png)### I was nervous. I never imagined someone like me could be part of something so international. But the Assembly welcomed everyone. It didn’t matter where you came from or how much you’d studied. Everyone’s voice mattered.

 

 

 

 

 ### Local leadership, global connection

Since returning from COP26, Chom has expanded his environmental efforts with more community   
support than ever before.

- **Restoring Nature –** Chom continues to lead reforestation efforts and   
    protect local waterways to prevent drought and erosion.
- **Mobilising Others –** His actions have inspired neighbours to take   
    ownership of environmental care in their own backyards.
- **Spreading Awareness –** Through workshops, word of mouth, and   
    partnership with local leaders, Chom shares what he learned globally   
    with his community.

 

   ![image slide 1](/uploads/Frame-2-5.jpg) 

 

 ![image slide 1](/uploads/GCA_Chom2.png) 

 

 ![image slide 1](/uploads/GCA_Chom1.png) 

 

 

 

    ![quote image](https://globalassemblies.org/images/quote.png)People used to say I was just one person. Now they<br>see the change, and they want to be part of it.

 

 

 

 

   ![timeline Image](/uploads/Group-2-10.jpg) 

### Legacy & future impact

Chom’s work shows how climate leadership can begin with a single person who chooses to act. His   
journey from a small village to the global stage proves that citizen action matters—and that deep   
local knowledge can help shape international decisions. For Chom, it’s not just about saving forests—  
it’s about inspiring others to believe they can shape the future too.

 

 

    ![quote image](https://globalassemblies.org/images/quote.png)Today, we are just a few hundred Assembly members. Tomorrow, we may be thousands, even millions. When this becomes a mass movement, the world will have to listen.

 

 

 

 

   ![timeline Image](/uploads/story-large-2.png) [![Play icon](https://globalassemblies.org/images/play-white.svg)](#) 

### Watch Chom’s story

 

 

    

 

 

 

  ### A New era of global   
 governance starts here

Be part of the conversation shaping global decisions.

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Help build a more inclusive future for people and the planet.

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