Several students gathered for Youth Sabha 2047, an intergenerational town hall organised in New Delhi by the United Nations Foundation and leading think tank Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), as part of the Next Generation India Fellowship on Aug 12. The event is part of a series of national town halls supported by the Unlock the Future coalition, mobilising young people around the world for the UN Summit of the Future in September.
Through breakout sessions, students engaged in roundtable discussions on India’s priorities as it prepares to turn 100 in 2047. The students discussed the country’s energy and food systems, health priorities, sustainable cities, the future of workforces and artificial intelligence. “Over 50 per cent of India’s population is below 25 years, and I firmly believe in investing in young people. They are curious, bold, innovative, and bring tremendous energy to the table. Most of them will be there when India turns 100,” said Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa and Next Generation India Advisor via a video message. “It’s commendable to see CEEW and the UN Foundation bring together dynamic young leaders.”
The Youth Sabha 2047 marks a significant milestone as India lays down a blueprint to become a developed country by 2047. The Youth Sabha brought together 11 Next Generation India Fellows, students, policymakers, government officials, civil society leaders, and diplomats for a day of engaging discussions, high-level panels, and interactive sessions aimed at shaping India’s future with the youth at the centre of it.
“Young people are an unmatched force in tackling a country’s current and future challenges. Their voices and ideas are essential for building a sustainable, inclusive, and prosperous nation. The UN Foundation is dedicated to empowering these young minds, ensuring they are integral to decision-making processes. At Youth Sabha 2047, we witnessed an inspiring convergence of young people from across the country to drive progress, foster innovation, and ensure a vibrant and equitable future,” said Amb. Elizabeth Cousens, President and CEO, UN Foundation.
“The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals are personal. The triple planetary crisis of climate change crisis, pollution, and biodiversity loss are not abstract terms anymore. We are all experiencing polluted air, frequent flooding, and zoonoses like the COVID-19 pandemic. These force us to ask: How can individual choices and actions propel change?” said Dia Mirza, actor, producer and UN Secretary-General’s SDG Advocate. “I represent a small but growing community of artists advocating for changes necessary for creating a healthy planet for all people everywhere. There are many young people in India who still need to be heard. The SDGs can be the guiding principles of how we build businesses, develop as an economy, manufacture, grow and produce,” she added.
“India has the greatest youth generation in history, and we have to tap into this segment. Young people are not ancillary; they’re the here and now and our main focus. A top priority is making sure young people’s ideas and aspirations make it into policy-making and that we engage young minds to be part of the solution. Fortunately, it’s never been easier for young people’s voices to be heard because social media has bridged that gap,” said Shombi Sharp, UN Resident Coordinator.
The event also saw the presence of Dr Shamika Ravi, Member, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, Government of India; Rakesh Sharma, cosmonaut and the first Indian in outer space; Dr Arunabha Ghosh, CEO, CEEW; and Richa Gupta, UN Young Leader for the SDGs and CEO, Labhya Foundation.
“When we were in college, the cool kids had guitars and bands. Now, the cool kids in India have start-ups, ideas, and aspirations. Data is important to help connect them to reality. Communicating findings with the next generation is extremely fulfilling. Each of us has to use the tools at our disposal to contribute in whatever little way we can to help the world,” said Dr Shamika Ravi, Member, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, Government of India.
“With more than half of our population under the age of 25, Indian youth are in a unique and powerful position to influence the future on a global level. We just need to be made aware of the changemaker within us. Youth Sabha 2047 has been set up to realise this very vision of youth-led nation building,” said Prachi Shevgaonkar, Next Generation India Lead Fellow.
The Youth Sabha 2047 also unveiled the concept behind an upcoming youth-led dictionary with a visionary art installation, Fabric of the Future, by Gurjeet Singh, a Chandigarh-based artist and Next Generation India Fellow. Singh has worked across mediums, including sculpture, painting, drawing, sound and performances. The installation consists of a two-layered tapestry created from fabrics collected from across India between 2019 and 2024. The piece represents the aspirations of the young through its embroidery. It also hints towards the series of youth consultations the Next Generation India Fellows will lead in the run-up to the launch of a dictionary, India in Future Tense, and the 2025 Our Future India report.
The Next Generation India Fellowship is a partnership between the UN Foundation’s Our Future Agenda programme and CEEW. Launched on the sidelines of India’s G20 Presidency in 2023, the Fellowship puts young people at the forefront of shaping the country’s future and solving the world’s most pressing challenges as they work closely with intergenerational changemakers globally to build consensus around a ‘future agenda’ for India.
