UNDP India-Prajakta Koli partnership completes one year

Mumbai: Content creator and actress Prajakta Koli, popularly known as MostlySane online, is celebrating a year-long engagement with UNDP India. Koli, who has over seven million followers on Instagram and 6.8 million on YouTube was appointed UNDP India's first youth climate champion last year. She has since been the face of many campaigns to highlight the impact of climate change and engage people, especially young people, to act now.

Together with UNDP India, Koli lent her voice to raise awareness about climate action through a YouTube vlog, ‘Climate Change is Real.’ To bring stories of real-life heroes leading change in communities, Koli visited UNDP supported plastic waste management project in Chembur, Mumbai, and a women-led mangrove tourism in Sindhudurg.

Through UNDP Youth Co:Lab, Koli encouraged young social entrepreneurs to effectively utilise their skills to solve some of the country's pressing issues. Likewise, her engagement with other UN Ambassadors through live chats and participation in the 16 Days of Activism campaign stirred meaningful conversations about climate action and violence against women.

Koli said, "The world today is facing multiple crises. With the largest youth population in the world, India's response to these issues has been innovative and skilfully diverse. UNDP's initiatives on climate action enabled me to propel the youth of this country to take constructive, actionable steps to save our rapidly changing environment. My collaboration with UNDP not only helped me build critical perspectives on several issues but also created awareness about the same. I am excited to engage in new, exciting projects with UNDP India to garner more support for the SDGs this year."

Koli supported UNDP's global campaign, "Dear World Leaders," through a powerful video message broadcast widely at the climate conference COP27 in Egypt last year. She also lent her voice to UNDP's award-winning ‘Don't Choose Extinction' campaign to urge humanity to accelerate climate action.

UNDP India deputy resident representative Dennis Curry said, "Over the last year, Prajakta has been advocating for urgent climate action and using her voice to influence young people to act now. She demonstrates that in young people's leadership lies hope for humanity. Climate change is the defining issue of our lives, and young people are the solution bearers and the changemakers for a better tomorrow. We look forward to continuing our engagement with her for people and the planet."