UN Resident Coordinator’s 1st field visit through Odisha, Gujarat

From the stone chariot wheels of Konark to the women-led cooperatives of Ahmedabad, Stefan Priesner undertook his first field visit as UN Resident Coordinator in India, travelling through Odisha and Gujarat from 3 to 9 May 2026.

Over the course of a week, he met adolescent leaders challenging child marriage, women’s groups reshaping nutrition and health practices, climate advocates, tribal experts, frontline workers and senior state officials addressing some of India’s most complex development challenges.

More than a series of official engagements, the visit offered a closer look at how United Nations agencies are working with governments and communities to translate global development goals into local action across maternal health, food security, gender equality, urban resilience and climate adaptation.

Odisha

In Odisha, the Resident Coordinator travelled across Bhubaneswar, Puri and Konark, observing community-led initiatives supported by UNICEF, UNFPA, WFP, UNDP, WHO and UN Habitat in partnership with the Government of Odisha.

At an Anganwadi Centre in Chandanpur village in Puri district, he met members of ADVIKA, a platform of adolescent girls and boys working to end child marriage and strengthen youth empowerment. Supported jointly by UNICEF and UNFPA under the global programme to end child marriage, the initiative works closely with communities to encourage girls to remain in school and expand opportunities for adolescents.

Women’s self-help groups and frontline workers shared how local nutrition, health and sanitation initiatives are improving access to services and strengthening awareness around maternal and child wellbeing. Discussions also highlighted the growing role of women-led community networks in driving social change at the grassroots level.

Alongside community-level engagements, the visit also focused on how state institutions are responding to evolving development challenges. Meetings with district and state officials, including Deputy Chief Ministers of Odisha, centred on collaboration in areas such as agriculture, women’s empowerment, urban development, social protection and tribal development.

A roundtable discussion on tribal programmes examined both challenges and opportunities in improving development outcomes among tribal communities, while interactions with youth climate leaders highlighted local innovation and climate action led by young people.

The Resident Coordinator also met healthcare workers, civil society organisations and beneficiaries of a World Food Programme-supported grain banking initiative aimed at strengthening food security through technology-enabled systems.

In Bhubaneswar, he visited the Smart City Integrated Command and Control Centre and reviewed efforts to strengthen urban governance and digital public systems. He also observed initiatives supporting working mothers through childcare and care economy programmes, alongside interventions focused on maternal and child health services.

The Odisha leg of the visit reflected the state’s cultural heritage through visits to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Konark Sun Temple and Odisha’s crafts museum Kala Bhoomi.

Gujarat

In Gujarat, the Resident Coordinator participated in a workshop on Sustainable Development Goal 5 at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, focusing on gender equality and women’s empowerment

 

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He also met representatives of the Self Employed Women’s Association, or SEWA, to learn how women working across India’s informal economy are strengthening livelihoods, expanding financial inclusion and building collective economic resilience through community-led models.

The programme also included interactions with UN staff and discussions on development partnerships and sustainable development priorities in the state.

In Gujarat, the visit further explored the relationship between heritage, livelihoods and local identity through visits to Sabarmati Ashram and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Rani Ki Vav.

Across Odisha and Gujarat, the visit revealed a common reality beneath very different landscapes and priorities. Whether in adolescent groups in Puri, women’s collectives in Ahmedabad or discussions on tribal development and urban governance, much of the momentum behind development efforts is being driven locally, through community networks, frontline workers and state partnerships working far from the spotlight.