Content creator, actor Prajakta Koli is UNDP India's first youth climate champion

United Nations Development Programme India on Thursday announced its partnership with leading content creator and actress, Prajakta Koli, who embraces the moniker MostlySane as its first UNDP India Youth Climate Champion.

With a long-term vision to reinforce maximum youth participation in climate action and ensure a more sustainable future, Prajakta, a youth icon, is known for her long-standing contribution towards mental health, women’s rights, and girl child education through various global social campaigns.

As UNDP India Youth Climate Champion, Prajakta will be entrusted with the responsibility of interacting with young minds to create awareness on the adverse impacts of climate change, global warming, and biodiversity loss felt by all sections of the society, especially the poor and marginalised communities, impacting their lives and livelihoods, and the economy as a whole.

She will address the need for collective action, sharing inspirational stories of how governments, communities, and individuals are taking definite steps to make a real difference. 

Today, close to 60 percent of youth in India consider climate crisis a global emergency and are vocal about the pressing need for urgent policy creation and change.

They are making climate-conscious choices in their lifestyles, such as buying sustainably sourced products, opting for eco-friendly transportation, devoting their skills to harnessing innovative ideas to aid action towards the climate crisis. 

In a press statement, Prajakta Koli said, “I am extremely humbled and honoured to have been entitled with this unique responsibility to champion a cause that is close to my heart. As the very first UNDP India Youth Climate Champion, I would like to produce and participate in opportunities that propel conversations around climate action and the urgent measures we must take."

"The youth need to be the torchbearers of this revolution and foot soldiers who will work towards the common goal of an enriched and empowered future, where the human species doesn’t become endangered. We have created this problem, but we can solve it too. With UNDP, I will strive to work with young minds across the globe to take appropriate measures for climate action.”

Welcoming Prajakta, Shoko Noda, Resident Representative, UNDP India, said, “We are excited to have Prajakta on board as the UNDP India Youth Climate Champion. Young people are the leading voice to make the world more sustainable. Prajakta has a strong connect with millions of young Indians. I am sure her voice reaches the hearts of youth and inspires them to take climate action.”

Known for being an active campaigner for socially relevant youth-centric issues, Prajakta has tackled body shaming and online bullying with “Shameless” as part of her campaign #iPledgeToBeMe, which she launched on World Mental Health Day in 2016.

Being a global ambassador for YouTube's Creators For Change, she threw light on trolling, female subjugation, and homophobia through “No Offence”, which was showcased on International Tolerance Day at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

In 2018, she was seen in WhatsApp’s first-ever TVC, which addressed the importance of not spreading fake news.

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Later that year, she partnered with YouTube for Social Impact Girl’s Education campaign, with Instagram for their Safer Internet Week campaign, and One.org for their Girl Education campaign.

The Michelle Obama helmed Emmy Award-winning 2020 Creators For Change YouTube Original Documentary saw Koli touching upon the importance of education of the girl child.

In 2021, she joined Google.org Impact Challenge to aid grants to non-profits addressing economic inequities faced by women and girls, alongside Shakira, Amanda Gorman, Naomi Osaka, and Dr Rigoberta Menchú Tum.