Inspiring India's Youth for a Just Tomorrow

In Guwahati's Sarla Birla Gyan Jyoti school, over 1200 students unite daily to pledge for peace and justice. Khyati Baruah a 15 year old, credits UNODC's RiseUp4Peace initiative for enhancing her leadership skills and fostering enthusiasm for SDG16.

"Being a part of the RiseUp4Peace project has enhanced my leadership skills to a new level," says Khyati. "As a student leader in my school, I have been collaborating with students from different classes and feel a new spark of excitement in the students for SDG16."

RiseUp4Peace, led by UNODC in collaboration with Kamla Nehru Public School, engages over 1,000 educators and youth. It focuses on fostering integrity and promoting SDG16 values.

“With RiseUp4Peace, I am able to spread awareness about the impact we as students can make to build a just and peaceful world. This project has also helped me to develop my leadership and communication skills,” says Lekisha Jain, aged 14.

"Working for this cause has enabled me to harness digital tools for meaningful social impact," says Srishti Sen, aged 15, a student of the Funlish online education platform.

5th Monthly RiseUp4Peace capacity-boosting dialogue in April, facilitated by UNODC's youth mainstreaming specialist Paloma Munne, involved over 150 educators, promoting youth mainstreaming. Educators from around the world shared practical ways to strengthen SDG 16 education, highlighting the importance of a “collaborative spirit."

"With this network, the idea is to foster cross-fertilization of expertise and ideas between educators and educational institutions," says Ms. Paramjit Dhillon, Principal (Admin and Innovation), KNPS Phagwara.

Through direct knowledge support, 316 educators, 5,100 young people, and 12 educational institutions were empowered on SDG 16-related themes and youth mainstreaming on the rule of law. This led to over 14,000 young people engaged and empowered in various initiatives. These include the 'Run4Peace' campaign by Little Kingdom School (Madhya Pradesh), virtual student assemblies at Funlish Language School, and setting up a 'peace tree' at Sri Seshaas International Public School Salem (Tamil Nadu), among others,

"In today's interconnected world, the significance of SDG16 education cannot be overstated," asserts Samarth Pathak, UNODC Communications Officer for South Asia.

"I have always wanted to make a difference in society," shares Anubhab Siddhanta, aged 13. "Engaging with UNODC has made me realize that small acts too can have a big impact.”

With RiseUp4Peace paving the way, young people are not just dreaming of a better tomorrow—they're actively working towards it, one pledge and one action at a time. 

Join the RiseUp4Peace initiative:  t.ly/lh9T7

This activity contributes to SDG 4, SDG 16 and SDG 17: https://sdg-tracker.org/