LocationsUNDP India Youth Champions Sanjana Sanghi and Prajakta Koli highlighted the critical role of including youth in conversations about the Sustainable Development Goals at various UNGA side events.
These Young Hindi Film Actors Are Making a Global Impact
September 26, 2024
The annual high-level UN General Assembly debate is underway in New York and has brought world leaders together to deliberate on the theme, "Leaving no one behind: acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development, and human dignity for present and future generations." Ahead of the debate, the United Nations convened the Summit of the Future, setting the stage with Action Days that began the discussions. On Day 1, Sanjana Sanghi, UNDP India Youth Champion, opened her address with a strong call to action. “All we ask is for a seat at the tables of change,” she said, stressing the importance of including young people in developmental conversations.
“All we ask is to be given genuine opportunities of engagement, whether it is in the private sector, in the government, at the United Nations or in academia. All we ask is for our voices to be heard because we matter and our voice matters,” she said during her impactful address. “All we ask is to be given the opportunity to be the change that we wish to see in this world.”
The young Bollywood actor also attended an event on Digital inclusion on Day 2 of the Action Days. “It was an honour to be there up on stage, focusing specifically on ensuring access for women to digital technologies,” she said after the event. “I feel that digital future is only valuable and relevant if it is equitable, and for that, we have to ensure that access is distributed across gender and across income streams.”
Sanghi also participated in a pre-UNGA discussion panel on ‘From Youth to Leaders: Advancing Climate Resilience and Global Peace’, where she was part of a panel of young changemakers and experts who discussed the climate crisis and why it should matter to the young.
“I was deeply inspired by these young changemakers who are passionately working to address climate issues and secure a sustainable future for all. Their dedication and innovative solutions give us all hope for a brighter tomorrow,” Sanghi said after the event.
In 2023, UNDP India announced their partnership with the actor to promote youth-led social innovation and entrepreneurship through Youth Co:Lab, which was co-created in 2017 by UNDP and Citi Foundation, and is the largest youth movement in Asia and the Pacific, with presence in over 28 countries.
In India, it was launched in collaboration with Atal Innovation Mission and is a one-of-its-kind social entrepreneurship initiative promoting young people's ideas and start-ups. Over the years, it has conducted four national innovation challenges and dialogues and supported over 250 young social entrepreneurs to scale their social enterprises through mentorship and grant support.
Sanghi has encouraged young people to participate in activities of the Youth Co:Lab, and supported other UNDP youth innovation initiatives, such as the social entrepreneurship boot camp on SDGs for budding innovators, in partnership with Makers Asylum, UNESCO, and Better India.
Apart from Sanghi, Prajakta Koli, UNDP Youth Climate Champion, also attended various UNGA side events and advocated for youth inclusion in global conversations surrounding the climate crisis.
On September 24, Koli participated in a discussion titled “SDGs at a Turning Point”. The discussion focused on the intersection of media influence and sustainable development. Koli highlighted the critical role of media in driving the SDGs, including climate action and gender equality, and expressed her optimism about the younger generation driving meaningful change.
“One of the best things I learnt in the past few years is that the younger generation on the internet right now are by far the most aware people, who have access to more information than previous generations and they use it,” she said. “Understanding that was important because then I could lean on hope and optimism. Being a creator is my job, and the only way I can keep doing this is if I can hope that things will get better.”
In 2022, UNDP India as their first UNDP India Youth Climate Champion. As UNDP India Youth Climate Champion, Koli was entrusted with the responsibility of interacting with young minds to create awareness on the adverse impacts of climate change, global warming and biodiversity conservation, and address the need for collective action sharing inspirational stories of how governments, communities and individuals are taking definite steps to make a real difference.
Since then, Koli has partnered with UNDP India on many crucial campaigns to highlight the impact of climate change and engage people, especially young people, in action. She raised awareness about climate action through a YouTube vlog – "Climate Change is Real". To bring stories of real-life heroes leading change in communities, visited a UNDP-supported plastic waste management project in Chembur, Mumbai, and women-led mangrove tourism in Sindhudurg. She has also engaged with other UN Ambassadors through live chats and participated in the 16 Days of Activism campaign to stir meaningful conversations about climate action and violence against women. She supported UNDP's global campaign, Dear World Leaders, through a powerful video message broadcast widely at the climate conference - COP27 in Egypt last year and was part of UNDP's award-winning 'Don't Choose Extinction' campaign to urge humanity to accelerate Climate Action.