ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM FELLOWSHIP - CLASS OF 2025
United Nations Academic Impact and MCN are proud to partner on the Millennium Fellowship. This year, 60,000+ young leaders applied to join the Class of 2025 on 7,000+ campuses across 170 nations. 290+ campuses worldwide (less than 5%) were selected to host the 4,500+ Millennium Fellows.
UNITED NATIONS ACADEMIC IMPACT AND MCN PROUDLY PRESENT FATIMA IRFAN, A MILLENNIUM FELLOW FOR THE CLASS OF 2025.
National University of Sciences & Technology | Islamabad, Pakistan | Advancing SDG 3, SDG 6, SDG 11 & UNAI 9
" Establishment of unjust systems in the rural areas of Pakistan, along with the joy that comes with serving people, is what motivates me to do as much community work as possible. Through the Millennium Fellowship, I will be able to collaborate with like minded peers to contribute to betterment of the community. I am excited to network with people from all around the world and improve my communication and team working skills. "
Millennium Fellowship Project: EcoSynergy
"EcoSynergy is a campus-wide sustainability initiative launched by the National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST) under its role as the UNAI Global Hub Chair for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. The project marks the formal commencement of NUST’s Phase-Out Plastic Campaign, aimed at reducing dependency on single-use plastics and embedding sustainable consumption practices within the university ecosystem.
The initiative was officially launched by Pro-Rector (RIC), Dr. Rizwan Riaz, and saw active participation from students, faculty members, and campus staff—reflecting a strong institutional commitment to environmental responsibility and collective action.
A central component of EcoSynergy was the SDG 12 Awareness Hike conducted along the NUST trail. This experiential learning activity featured interactive awareness stations that highlighted the environmental, economic, and health impacts of plastic pollution. Participants engaged with creative demonstrations showcasing sustainable alternatives, lifecycle impacts of plastic products, and everyday actions that contribute to responsible consumption. To reinforce positive behavior, eco-friendly incentives were awarded to participants demonstrating active engagement and learning.
As a tangible policy outcome of the project, the NUST Sustainability Office (Sustainable) announced a strategic shift from single-use plastic bottles to reusable glass bottles across campus. This transition represents a concrete step toward waste minimization, circular resource use, and institutional leadership in sustainability practices.
Overall, EcoSynergy serves as a scalable model for behavior change, awareness-building, and policy-driven sustainability action within higher education institutions, aligning operational practices with global SDG 12 targets while fostering an environmentally conscious campus culture."
About the Millennium Fellow
Fatima Irfan is a kind and hardworking medical student at Nust School Of Health Sciences. She was and raised in Lahore, Pakistan but then shifted to Islamabad to chase her dreams of becoming a doctor. She highly values empathy and kindness and has always been passionate about community work. From animals to forests, orphanages to elders, she has always tried to find opportunities to help others. Up until now, Fatima has volunteered in more than 3 medical camps providing free checkups to more than 500-600 patients, she has participated in a cleaning drive for margalla forests to save them from increasing wildfires due to human negligence and was also a member of a fundraising campaign, which raised 2.2 million pkr for deserving students. Fatima hopes to be the source of ease and happiness for many more people through her medical career and her passion to serve the community.
