Dec 05, 2020 / 17 SDGs

‘Youth for Sustainability’ India Alliance launches to find Collective Climate Solutions

Group of twenty-two organisations have committed to take action to solve 21st century’s biggest and complex issue – Climate Crisis

5th December, India wide: The Youth for Sustainability (YfS) India alliance will be the driving force in the ‘Decade of Action, 2020-30’, for Responsible Consumption and Production and Climate Action in India for a sustainable future by bringing together like-minded youth-focused and multi-stakeholder organizations and building consensus for individual, civil society, corporate and government policy actions. The Alliance was launched online this Saturday 5th December 2020, on the occasion of International Volunteer Day. The session, which gathered 143 attendees and 20 speakers from across the country, was opened by the energising performance of ‘artivist’ EPR, which was followed by comments by the speakers who came onboard as representatives of the so far confirmed 22 Alliance member organisations. The launch ended with the inauguration of the Alliance’s website and a series of calls to action for the audience to start getting involved right away.

Urgency is key, YfS India Alliance collating hope and ideas for timely action

As per India’s Census 2011, Youth (15-24 years) in India constitutes one-fifth (19.1%) of India’s total population. The potential in the hands of youth is tremendous and the Youth for Sustainability (YfS) India Alliance aims to harness that potential. The alliances’ main objectives are as follows:

● Youth Empowerment – Mobilizing youth-focused and multi-stakeholder organizations for SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production and SDG 13 – Climate Action
● Youth Partnerships – Empower collaborative, decentralised, glo-cal and hyperlocal approach for action by the youth to become responsible consumer
● Youth Guidance – Encouraging youth to use the power of their vote and wallet for SDG 12 and 13 and become role model citizens

Wioleta Burdzy Seth, Co-founder of Human Circle Foundation and a founding member of the YfS India Alliance elaborates on the importance of youth for solving climate crisis, “India has the power of more than half a billion young people who can come together to become a role model for others for climate action. There is no better time than now to be a catalyst for the ‘Decade of Action’ and step up our efforts for the SDGs.”

Pauline Laravoire, Founder of Y-East, a social start-up actively working on sustainability issues in North East region of India, and founding member of YfS India Alliance said, “This alliance is a historic landmark towards more sustainable, less polluting lifestyles and practices in India. Only through such large-scale collaborative initiatives can we overcome the most pressing challenges of our time and achieve our transition within the short timeframe of the ‘Decade of Action’.”

Rijit Sengupta, CEO of Centre for Responsible Business (CRB), a launch member of the YfS India Alliance commented, “Interacting with businesses and other stakeholders, CRB realised that while there has been a significant body of knowledge and practice on the supply side of sustainable practices, there has not been enough attention given on the demand side – when consumers and markets start demanding sustainable products and enterprises. Engaging with young millennials, we felt could fulfil CRB’s aspiration to create this demand in the market. For a country like India, with a significant young and growing population, this is an imperative.”

Kamal Prakash Seth, India Representative of Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, another launch member of the Alliance added, “It is very important for youth focused and multi-stakeholder organisations in India to step up our efforts to educate, engage and inspire the consumers, specifically the youth to demand and use sustainable products. It is a great opportunity for this alliance to play the role of a national platform to bring together all like-minded organisations.”

YfS India Alliance aims to look at problems and solutions through the lens of longevity and sustenance. YfS India Alliance is an initiative to drive and accelerate change towards a sustainable future by changing behaviour and policies in educational campuses, corporate groups, civil society organisations and other stakeholders including the government.

The YfS India Alliance ‘Terms of Reference’ (ToR) is published here in 6 languages. If your organisations meets the requirements mentioned therein and wants to join the Alliance, please send an email stating your intent to Wioleta Burdzy Seth (Founding Trustee, Human Circle Foundation) at wioleta@humancircle.in

YfS India Alliance current members are:

Human Circle Foundation, Y-East, Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), Blueyard Education, MASH Project Foundation, Climate Collective, Centre for Responsible Business, One Earth Social Initiative, Earthly Sienna, GlobalShala, Artsforward, Maker’s Asylum, Eco Clothing India, Mukh Bandh Kaam Shuru, Sweccha, Melton Foundation, Centre for Environment Education (CEE) East, Envirocentre Foundation, Ashoka and InfinityBox, Climate Interactive and Young Environmentalists Programme Trust Mumbai.