BHUBANESWAR : The 4th edition of Odisha Conference of Youth (OCOY 4.0) kicked off on Monday at XIM University here, bringing together over 150 young delegates from across 30 districts of the state for a deliberation on building a climate-resilient future.
Inaugurating the three-day conference, organised by the Youth4Water Plus campaign in partnership with UNICEF-Odisha, Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati urged the youth to move beyond awareness and become leaders of change in their communities.
“Climate change is no longer a distant threat but a lived reality and Odisha is not a land of victims but a land of survivors. Go back to your districts as ambassadors of sustainability. Let your actions be so loud that they inspire those who are still silent,” the Governor said.
Highlighting the importance of meaningful youth engagement, chief of field office of UNICEF-Odisha Prasanta Kumar Dash said, “Children and young people are not the passive beneficiaries of the world adults build for them. They are rights-holders, entitled to participate in decisions that shape their lives.”
He said platforms like OCOY empower young people with the knowledge, confidence and opportunities to shape climate solutions within their own communities.
XIM University vice-chancellor KS Casimir emphasised the role of education in empowering young people to become responsible leaders and active contributors to climate action.
The event, centred on the theme ‘Building Next Generation Climate Leaders’, will see delegates participate in climate simulations, negotiation exercises, field visits, innovation challenges and policy dialogues while engaging with experts, practitioners and communities to strengthen their climate leadership.
A field visit to Bidyadharpur village and the Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Puri will provide first-hand exposure to community-led climate-resilient practices. Delegates will also pitch green enterprises during the Eco-Tank session, deliberate on environmental issues through a Tribunal for Environmental Justice and jointly draft a Youth Statement to be presented to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
Co-founder of Sambhav Sabarmatee, general manager and ESG Ambassador of NEXUS Select Trust Harsha Bharda, WASH-CCES specialist, UNICEF-Odisha Shipra Saxena, Youth4Water Plus advisor and Bakul founder Sujit Mahapatra, Youth4Water Plus director Blorin Mohanty and others were present.
