Mumbai Climate Week 2026: UNICEF India and YuWaah to centre Children and Youth Voices

MUMBAI, India, Jan. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- UNICEF YuWaah has been named the official Youth Engagement Partner for Mumbai Climate Week (MCW) 2026, to be held in Mumbai from February 17 to 19, 2026. UNICEF India in collaboration with convenors, Project Mumbai and YuWaah, will lead youth engagement activities throughout the month, beginning January, providing children and young people with opportunities to meaningfully inform climate action and policy discussions. 

The Mumbai Climate Week is India's first city-led platform focused on accelerating climate action through citizen-driven solutions for urban resilience. It aims to translate global climate priorities into locally led action in the Global South. Grounded in the recognition that climate crisis is also a child rights issue, UNICEF India, YuWaah, and Project Mumbai will work together to bring the voices, experiences, and solutions of children and young people into the climate dialogue and on-ground action throughout the week.

Speaking on the campaign, UNICEF India Representative, Cynthia McCaffrey said, "Children and young people are powerful agents of change. By placing children at the centre of climate solutions, we work with governments to invest in their rights and in a cleaner, safer future for all. The Mumbai Climate Week gives young people a platform to lead practical solutions on challenges like e-waste—demonstrating how youth can drive climate action today." 

Leading up to the MCW, UNICEF YuWaah will organize Campus Climate Roadshows across select colleges in Mumbai from February 9 to 16, 2026. The roadshow will feature a signature e-waste installation created under Special Campaign 5.0 of Eco Clubs for Mission LiFE, led by the Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The installation spotlights youth-led action on e-waste and responsible consumption. 

By bringing the installation to college campuses, the Roadshow aims to strengthen student participation in climate action and connect campus-level engagement with broader policy and civic conversations during the Mumbai Climate Week.

To further advance youth-led climate solutions, UNICEF YuWaah is supporting the Youth Green Innovation Challenge, a national platform for young changemakers aged 16 to 24, as part of the MCW 2026. The Challenge invites youth-led innovations across three themes: Food Systems, Urban Resilience, and Energy Transition. Selected innovators will showcase their solutions at the MCW, engage with experts and policymakers, and explore opportunities for scale and sustained support. 

To Register Click Here - https://www.mumbaiclimateweek.com/youth-green-innovation-challenge/

Shishir Joshi, Founder and CEO of Project Mumbai, said, "The Campus Roadshow and Youth Green Innovation Challenge exemplify what MCW stands for: turning ideas into action through conversations that matter. By bringing these initiatives to college students, we are building a network of young climate advocates who will carry momentum beyond February and into their communities."

UNICEF India integrates Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability programmes across health, nutrition, education, WASH, and child protection. This includes climate-resilient health systems, heat and air quality action plans, climate-smart schools, and flood- and drought-proof water and sanitation services. UNICEF also supports Mission LiFE and youth-led climate action through platforms such as Meri LiFE, which has recorded more than 31.9 million pro-planet actions, and Maharashtra's Youth Engagement and Water Stewardship programme, which has reached over one million young people.

Note to Editor: 

The World Health Organisation estimates that climate change could cause an additional 250,000 deaths per year between 2030 and 2050 due to malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea, and heat stress, with children among the most vulnerable. With nearly one in three Indian under the age of 14 years protecting children from the effects of climate change, a national priority. 

Recognising this vulnerability and the urgent need for child-centred climate action, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and its recent interpretations affirm that climate change is a child rights issue. The MCW aligns climate action with the CRC and the priorities emerging from COP30, reinforcing the centrality of children's rights in climate decision-making.

About UNICEF 

UNICEF, the United Nations agency for children, works to protect the rights of every child, everywhere, especially the most disadvantaged children and in the toughest places to reach. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we do whatever it takes to help children survive, thrive, and fulfil their potential.

For more information on UNICEF India and its work visit https://www.unicef.org/india/. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+ and LinkedIn 

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