OCOY 4.0 brings 150+ youth from Odisha’s 30 districts together to lead climate action and build a climate-resilient Odisha
OdishaPlus Bureau
Odisha’s young climate champions took centre stage on Monday as the fourth edition of the Odisha Conference of Youth (OCOY 4.0) opened at XIM University, Bhubaneswar, bringing together more than 150 young delegates from all 30 districts with a shared resolve to build a climate-resilient Odisha.
Organised under the Youth4Water Plus campaign in partnership with UNICEF Odisha, the Government of Odisha and more than 50 partner organisations, the three-day conference is centred on the theme, “Building Next Generation Climate Leaders.”
Inaugurating the conference, Governor of Odisha Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati called on young people to move beyond awareness and emerge as leaders of climate action in their communities.
“Climate change is no longer a distant threat but a lived reality. Odisha is not a land of victims; it is a land of survivors,” the Governor said, urging the delegates to return to their districts as “ambassadors of sustainability” and turn their ideas into visible action. “Let your actions be so loud that they inspire those who are still silent,” he added.
Reinforcing the need to place young people at the heart of climate decision-making, Prasanta Kumar Dash, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Odisha, said children and young people must be recognised as active participants in shaping the world they will inherit.
“Children and young people are not passive beneficiaries of the world adults build for them. They are rights-holders, entitled to participate in decisions that shape their lives. UNICEF sees you as partners, not as an audience,” he said.
He added that platforms such as OCOY give young people the knowledge, confidence and opportunities to develop climate solutions rooted in their own communities.
Dr. Fr. K. S. Casimir, SJ., Vice-Chancellor, XIM University, highlighted the transformative role of education in equipping young people to become responsible leaders and active contributors to climate action.
The three-day programme is designed to move youth climate engagement from conversation to practice. Delegates will take part in climate simulations, negotiation exercises, field visits, innovation challenges and policy dialogues, engaging with experts, practitioners and communities to strengthen their leadership skills.
A field visit to Bidyadharpur village and the Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Puri will offer delegates first-hand exposure to community-led climate-resilient practices. The Eco-Tank session will give young innovators an opportunity to pitch green enterprises, while a Tribunal for Environmental Justice will create a platform to deliberate on pressing environmental concerns.
The delegates will also collectively draft a Youth Statement, which will be presented to the Chief Minister of Odisha during the valedictory session on August 12.
The inaugural session was attended by Padma Shri Sabarmatee, Co-Founder of Sambhav; Harsha Bharda, General Manager and ESG Ambassador, NEXUS Select Trust; Shipra Saxena, WASH-CCES Specialist, UNICEF Odisha; Sujit Mahapatra, Advisor, Youth4Water Plus and Founder, Bakul Foundation; and Blorin Mohanty, Director, Youth4Water Plus.
Adding a message of hope to the proceedings, delegates also watched a special video message from UNICEF Ambassador and actor Ayushmann Khurrana, who encouraged young people to respond to the climate crisis with hope, innovation and action.
As climate risks intensify across communities and ecosystems, OCOY 4.0 sends a clear message: Odisha’s youth are not merely inheriting the climate crisis—they are stepping forward to shape its solutions.