UN in India and YuWaah launch UN India-YuWaah Advocates for the SDGs

On International Youth Day 2022, the United Nations in India (UNDP, UNEP, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNV) and YuWaah, the Indian chapter of the global Generation Unlimited, appointed the first-ever batch of UN India-YuWaah Advocates for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The UN India-YuWaah Advocates - six young sustainability champions from across India - were appointed for a two-year period to engage and inspire young people to take action on the SDGs. The Advocates will work in close collaboration with the UN agencies in India to advocate for our common and collective agenda for sustainable, inclusive and equitable development. 

In his video message for the occasion, Sh. Anurag Thakur, Hon'ble Minister,​ Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said, “India’s youth form nearly 40% of the country’s population, thereby emerging as a significant stakeholder in determining the country’s future trajectory.”

Mr Yasumasa Kimura​, Representative a.i., UNICEF India​ and co-chair of YuWaah (Generation Unlimited India) Board, said, “In the 75th year of its independence, India is becoming a global leader that will show the world how to build back better from the pandemic, and the engine of this dynamism is India’s youth. UNICEF, together with the UN in India, is proud to leverage this unique generational moment through the YuWaah movement that aims to build a nurturing ecosystem that offers young people the future-ready skills they need and the leadership positions they deserve. The launch of the UN India YuWaah Advocates is another step in the direction of meaningfully partnering with young people and mainstreaming their voice in decision-making and advocacy for our collective future.”

Mr Shombi Sharp, UN Resident Coordinator in India, commented, “Young people have time and again proven themselves ready to meet the world’s most pressing challenges with amazing energy and creativity. I congratulate the UN India YuWaah Advocates on their appointment and look forward to helping bring their solutions for the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development to life. Today marks a new beginning, a new platform for partnership between young people in India and the UN in India for a more just, inclusive and equitable world, where no one is left behind. When young Indians lead, as the world’s largest youth generation, the world will follow.”

Read the profiles of the UN India YuWaah Youth Advocates here.