The opening week of COY20 and COP30 in Belém saw active participation from Indian youth representative Sourabh S. Sindhe, who attended as part of the International Trade Centre’s YECO 2025 delegation—one of just ten SMEs selected globally for this year’s cohort.
At COY20, the UNFCCC’s official youth conference, Sindhe joined the Food and Agriculture Working Group, where young delegates exchanged views on food systems, climate impacts and community-level solutions. These discussions feed into the consultative process behind the Global Youth Statement submitted ahead of COP30.
Sindhe also highlighted India’s large-scale youth mobilisation through the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue (VBYLD), an initiative led by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports that offers a national platform for young people aged 15–29 to present ideas on innovation, sustainability and leadership for the ‘Viksit Bharat’ vision. These experiences informed his contributions on youth capacity building and climate education.
He further underscored India’s policy direction under the National Education Policy (NEP 2020), which promotes experiential learning and food-farming literacy, as well as Mission LiFE, which encourages mindful consumption. Both initiatives, he noted, reflect how education and local participation are central to India’s sustainability efforts.
Throughout COP30, bilateral meetings and panel discussions reinforced the growing global recognition of education-led climate action. Sindhe met Kiribati’s Minister of Women, Youth, Sports and Social Affairs, Hon. Ruth Cross Kwansing, who expressed interest in introducing micro-learning food and farming programmes in schools across the island nation, where saline soils and low-lying atolls severely challenge food security. A collaborative framework is now being drafted to launch pilot programmes in Kiribati, with OMG providing technical expertise and curriculum design.
Sindhe also spoke with former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on how school-based programmes can strengthen child nutrition and build early environmental stewardship.
During the week, he participated in two panel sessions—a climate education discussion hosted by ActionAid Brazil, and a session on water-resilient food systems co-organised by FAO, IWMI and EMBRAPA. In both, he highlighted India’s low-cost school models that integrate food growing, nutrition awareness and environmental learning, demonstrating how practical education can support community resilience and empower future generations.
His engagement at COP30 is supported by the Youth Ecopreneur Programme (YECO), a collaboration between the International Trade Centre and the G20 Global Land Initiative, which backs young entrepreneurs advancing green innovation in land restoration and sustainable enterprise. As part of the ITC delegation, Sindhe brings youth-led, education-focused perspectives to global climate forums.
OMG—co-founded by brothers Sourabh S. Sindhe and Suchith S. Sindhe—has reached more than 100,000 students across India and built international partnerships promoting sustainability education. The Agri EdTech social enterprise transforms classrooms into “Nature Labs” where students learn to grow food, cook mindfully and live sustainably, supporting NEP 2020, Mission LiFE and the UN Sustainable Development Goals across India, Fiji and Australia.
As COP30 enters its second week, with negotiations intensifying on finance, mitigation and adaptation, delegates like Sindhe are urging global leaders and educators to prioritise classroom-based climate action. They call for urgent investment in school programmes, support for youth-led initiatives and greater international collaboration. “The Amazon and India may look worlds apart on a map,” he reflects, “but children everywhere need the same three things: nourishing food, a living landscape, and a belief that their actions matter.”
