About Us

Young people drive change - tackling climate issues, improving lives, and defending rights. By building skills and creating opportunities, we empower them to shape their lives, transform communities, and drive national progress.

Girls Smiling

Did you know that every month, 1 million young Indians turn 18 and seek economic opportunities?

The world is changing rapidly, and so are the needs and aspirations of India’s youth. Many, including women and those with disabilities, face exclusion from education, training, and employment.

YuWaah is challenging such norms by creating public-private-youth partnerships to foster collective action and provide customised opportunities for millions of young people while centring youth co-creation, engagement, and leadership.

Image of Cynthia McCaffrey UNICEF Representative to India

“Through YuWaah we encourage young people to recognize their unlimited potential. We encourage them to let their aspirations fly, think big and be bold. Within the new Government of India-UNICEF Country Programme 2023-2027, this partnership seeks to co-create solutions that empower India’s young people with the skills, tools and knowledge they need to succeed in the workforce and as entrepreneurs. It also creates opportunities for them to work together with policy stakeholders to make India more sustainable and innovative.”

Cynthia McCaffrey, UNICEF Representative to India

In 2018, Generation Unlimited was launched at the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly to skill the world’s 1.8 billion young people and connect them to opportunities for employment, entrepreneurship, and social impact.

In 2019, the Indian chapter was launched, called YuWaah; a name given by the young people of India themselves, signifying hope, enthusiasm, and channelling their aspirations into actions.

“YuWaah – the Generation Unlimited Partnership will go a long way in empowering our youth to acquire skills to enhance their creativity and potential to build the New India of the 21st century. I am confident that this partnership will empower our youth to be the harbingers of social change. Best wishes for all the success of the ‘YuWaah’ – Generation Unlimited partnership.”

Shri Narendra Modi, Honorable Prime Minister of India
Narendra Modi

As a dynamic Public-Private Youth Partnership, YuWaah empowers young voices and fosters cross-sector collaboration to influence decision-making positively.

With over 100 partners, it bridges the gap between the government and private sectors, driving youth-centric and youth-led impact at scale, and inspiring positive change for a brighter future where no one is left behind.

Ashwin Yardi

“YuWaah is a collaboration between public and private organising and leaders, along with young people as equal partners. And as we co-create platforms like Passport to Earning, Meri LiFE and the Youth Hub, we are enabling skilling and other socio-economic opportunities that can reach young people at scale.”

Ashwin Yardi, CEO – India, Capgemini

YuWaah leads by listening to and amplifying the needs and aspirations of young people. It identifies and scales up diverse solutions that help all young individuals nationwide find suitable skilling and employment opportunities to reshape the world as changemakers.

Our initiatives are co-created with partners, including young people who aim to:

  • Build pathways for 100 million young people to aspirational economic opportunities.
  • Facilitate 200 million young people in gaining the relevant skills for productive lives and the future of work.
  • Partner with 300 million young people as changemakers and create spaces for developing their leadership.

“There is so much that can be done collectively. I believe that no action or decision made for young people should be made without keeping them at the centre. I am happy to see that partners of YuWaah are also keeping young people at the centre of co-creation of the opportunities that will impact them and support in building young India’s capacities as they partner on every issue, policy or programme.”

Umalekshmi R., Young People Representative
Umalekshmi R. Representing young people at YuWaah Leaders Council

At our core, we co-create youth-centric action, supported by 50 young Indians from diverse backgrounds in YuWaah’s Young People’s Action Team (YPAT). They play a vital role in guiding YuWaah’s governance and strategic priorities through participation in board meetings, task forces, and working groups.

Furthermore, to ensure that young people inform the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations in India, YuWaah, along with UNICEF, UNFPA, UNDP, UNHCR, UNV, and UNEP, appointed the first UN India YuWaah Advocates. 

These six sustainability champions work on gender equality, refugee rights, disability inclusion, and environmental conservation.

YuWaah also launched #ImPactWithYouth, promoting youth centrality in the public and private sectors through partnerships between leaders and young people. 

This initiative garnered support from 50,000 people and is also promoted through a podcast series on UNICEF channels, in collaboration with partners.

Shombi Sharp UN India Resident Coordinator

“On International Youth Day with #DilSeYuWaah, I am renewing my pact on youth centrality by building meaningful partnerships with and for young people, adhering to principles of diversity, inclusion and equity. I urge everyone to co-create with young people and take the #ImPactWithYouth.”

Shombi Sharp, UN India Resident Coordinator