Lessons from Maharashtra, India on Youth-Led Action towards Climate Advocacy and Policy

UNICEF’s Youth-led Action against Climate Change Programme (YACC) supports young climate change advocates to influence national and sub-national climate change related policies. In each country, UNICEF hires a young coordinator responsible for creating a coordination unit among youth organizations and individuals who are active in advocacy on climate change and implement plans to influence policies. Plans are developed along a four-step journey: Awareness, Advocacy, Policy negotiation and Strengthening of youth led movement. 

This case study describes results achieved by UNICEF in India’s Maharashtra state on Awareness and Advocacy by a youth led movement called Maha Youth for Climate Action (MYCA). MYCA is a programme in partnership with UNICEF Maharashtra and Centre for Environment Education for youth advocates (15-29 years old). The programme provides three levels of training in climate action planning, climate action reporting, and climate advocacy and policy, followed by self-paced training modules on climate advocacy.