LocationsUNDP India’s champions and advocates brought youth, climate action and the Sustainable Development Goals into global conversations around the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
From youth agency to climate action: UNDP India champions take Indian voices to UNGA
September 29, 2026
UNDP
From calling for greater investment in young people to amplifying the urgency of climate action, UNDP India’s champions and advocates brought Indian voices and perspectives to global conversations around the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81).
Across high-level dialogues, conversations with global leaders, climate advocacy and the UN SDG Action Awards, UNDP India Youth Champion Sanjana Sanghi, Youth Climate Champion Prajakta Koli and Advocate for the SDGs Bhumi Pednekar used their platforms to draw attention to the role people, particularly young people, can play in shaping a more sustainable and inclusive future.
Sanjana Sanghi: Putting young people at the centre
For UNDP India Youth Champion Sanjana Sanghi, UNGA81 was an opportunity to make the case for moving beyond seeing young people only as beneficiaries of development, and instead recognizing them as partners and decision makers. On 16 September, Sanjana joined UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo, UNDP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific Kanni Wignaraja and Permanent Representatives from across Asia and the Pacific for the high-level dialogue ‘A Generation at the Crossroads: Dynamics Facing Youth in Asia and the Pacific’.
Drawing on her engagement with young changemakers through Youth Co:Lab, she spoke about the need to give young people greater agency, access and a genuine role in decisions that affect their lives. Youth Co:Lab, co-led by UNDP and Citi Foundation, supports young entrepreneurs across Asia and the Pacific through mentorship, skills development, seed support and opportunities for peer learning.
Sanjana also joined UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo for a conversation during UNGA81, bringing new perspectives to the question of what young people need to build their futures.
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Her message on youth agency continued at the UN Peace Circle at the SDG Media Zone on 21 September, held at UN Headquarters to mark the International Day of Peace. Alongside UN Under-Secretary-General Melissa Fleming, UNFPA Executive Director Diene Keita, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Mary Maker, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Muzoon Almellehan and youth representatives, Sanjana participated in the UN’s ‘Hear Us. Act Now for a Peaceful World’ campaign.
She highlighted the importance of investing in young people, including in education and health, and reiterated that young people should be participants in decisions, rather than simply beneficiaries of them.
Climate action was another important thread running through Sanjana’s engagements. At India Impact House at One World Trade Center, she joined the session ‘Powering the Transition: India’s Climate Economy and What it Means for the Global South’. The discussion explored green growth, decarbonization, mobilizing capital and the need for an equitable transition, including what India’s experience could mean for countries across the Global South.
Sanjana also spoke with UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband about climate action and the role young people can play in shaping a more sustainable future.
Her engagements reached audiences beyond the UNGA meeting rooms. As the General Assembly got underway, she also featured alongside young activists and other global voices responding to the question: What gives you hope for humanity?
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Prajakta Koli: An Indian youth voice at the UN SDG Action Awards
UNDP India Youth Climate Champion Prajakta Koli brought an Indian youth perspective to another global platform as a member of the high-level judging panel for the 2026 UN SDG Action Awards.
Prajakta became the first Indian to serve on the Awards jury, joining a global panel recognizing individuals and initiatives translating the Sustainable Development Goals into action. The Awards celebrate changemakers using creativity, innovation and collective action to advance the 2030 Agenda.
Her participation builds on her work as UNDP India’s Youth Climate Champion, where she has used her platform to engage young audiences on climate action and sustainability, and brings a youth and digital storytelling perspective to global conversations on the SDGs.
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Bhumi Pednekar: Taking climate advocacy to wider audiences
UNDP India Advocate for the SDGs Bhumi Pednekar used the UNGA moment to bring climate advocacy to wider audiences. Through climate advocacy videos, Bhumi highlighted the urgency of climate action and the role each of us can play in protecting the planet.
Her engagement reflects an important part of UNDP’s work with advocates: using culture, storytelling and public platforms to make the Sustainable Development Goals more accessible and encourage more people to see themselves as part of the solutions.
From global conversations to action
Together, the engagements of Sanjana, Prajakta and Bhumi around UNGA81 reflected different ways in which public voices can help bring development issues closer to people. From youth agency and participation to climate action and the SDGs, their engagements carried a common message: achieving sustainable development will require more people, especially young people, to have the opportunity, platforms and agency to help shape the decisions that determine their future.