Artificial Intelligence
Climate Change
Rise of Mega Cities
Power of the Next 8 Billion
India and the World Stage
Our Future India is a campaign led by the Next Generation India Fellows to place the voices of young people at the heart of India’s role in a rapidly changing world.
This campaign is building toward a report to be launched at UNGA80 in New York, and in Delhi leading up to WSSD2 and COP30, reflecting the perspectives of young people across India and the diaspora, responding to fast moving global shifts.
This campaign focuses on five global disruptors. Through in-person consultations, expert interviews, a national survey, and global dialogue, young people are shaping a shared vision for India in 2047 – its centenary of independence.
Find out how you can get involved – from the Future Visions of India design challenge to diaspora dialogues and our national survey – click here to take part.
What is your Vision for India's Future?
If you’re a creative under 30, this is your chance to showcase it. Take part in the Future Visions of India design challenge and turn your bold ideas into art, design, writing, or performance.
Five winning designs will be featured in the Our Future India report seen by top decision-makers, and shared to spark broader conversations across India. Bring your ideas to life and inspire India’s next chapter.
A Call to Action: Building India’s Future, Now
The stakes have never been higher. Disruptors like artificial intelligence, rise of mega cities, and climate change are rapidly reshaping the world we live in.
But within these disruptors lie opportunities that, if acted on today, can create a more stable, inclusive tomorrow. Investment now not only protects the rights of current generations but also ensure that future generations inherit a world built on stability, not crisis.
India’s leadership is not just a possibility, it is what will define the future. We need to step up and take charge.
Join the Next Generation India Fellows to drive Our Future India – connecting the dots across disruptors, opportunities, and India’s evolving story, while placing young Indians at the forefront of designing a sustainable future.
Five Global Disruptors
Artificial Intelligence
Climate Change
Rise of Mega Cities
Power of the Next 8 Billion
India and the World Stage
Who Controls the Future of Work?
AI is rewriting the global economy. By 2030, it will add USD 15.7 trillion to the world economy – more than the current output of India and China combined. But AI is also erasing traditional jobs and transforming the way work happens at an unprecedented pace. 300 million jobs worldwide could be affected by AI-driven automation with the World Economic Forum highlighting that 39% of current job skills are expected to be outdated by 2030.
Will India lead AI Innovation or will its workforce be left behind?
The Cost of Inaction
In 2023, the world recorded the highest number of billion-dollar climate disasters, with over 399 reported disasters causing economic losses exceeding USD 202 billion. Rising seal levels, heatwaves and extreme weather threaten to displace 45 million Indians by 2050.
The world cannot meet its climate targets without the leadership of countries like India. No one is more invested in building a better future than young people will inherit it.
Will young people drive the next decades of climate action or will they be forced to live on a dead planet?
Cities Reach a Breaking Point
By 2050, 68% of the global population will live in cities. Asia and Africa will see the sharpest rise and shift from rural to urban dwelling. But can our cities withstand this shift?
Consider the Indian case: 6 of the 10 most polluted cities in the world are in India with urban inequality pushing millions of people into urban slums and a looming water crisis.
Can Delhi really afford to ignore its air problem as its people choke in 1591 AQI? Can Bangalore escape its water crisis with short-term stop gap measures? Will Mumbai survive rising sea levels? Redefining how we plan our cities will define how we live, and the very fabric of our homes.
Ageing World, Young India
While much of the world is aging, India remains a young country with over 50% of its population under 30. This demographic trend is a unique advantage, but only if India invests in young people through public services, education, jobs, and care infrastructure.
The risk: Without redefining education and caregiving we cannot unlock the full potential of India’s workforce.
Will Indians power the global economy, or will they struggle to make ends meet?
A World in Flux
The world’s geopolitical architecture is shifting with the rise of the Global South, new economic alliances, and shifting power dynamics. India, as a G20 leader and the largest democracy in the world, sits at the center of this shift
But what role will young people play in shaping foreign policy, the global economy, or multilateral reform?
Get Involved
Future Visions of India Design Challenge
If you’re a young Indian under 30 — solo or in a team, with or without design experience — take part in the Future Visions of India design challenge and turn your bold ideas into art, design, writing, or performance. For full details, please refer to this document.
Five winning designs will be featured in the Our Future India report seen by top decision-makers, and shared to spark broader conversations across India.
Choose one prompt:
- Showcase a story from your own life that offers a vision for future India.
- If young people led the country, what would India look like?
- What is your most bold, joyful vision for India at 2047
Submit your design by joining the Engine Room’s Discord Channel to share your work, meet other young changemakers, and discover more opportunities to get involved — or email us your submission if you are having issues joining us on Discord.
Deadline: 15 June 2025, 11:59 PM IST
Diaspora Dialogues
Our Future India connects the world’s largest diaspora in shaping the future of their home. Virtual dialogues will map perspectives across the Indian diaspora in North America, European Union, MENA region and East Asia and Pacific.
Sign up for the dialogue in your region. Dialogues are scheduled between April 16 – May 8.
Our Future India Survey
The survey captures intergenerational perspectives from across India, mapping the aspirations, challenges and opportunities emerging from global disruptions.
Share your opinions by 5 May 2025 to be a part of Our Future India.
Youth Consultations
Kochi, Kerala
9-10 April
Silchar, Assam
11 April
Bhubaneswar, Odisha
12-13 April
Bangalore, Karnataka
15-16 April
Ahmedabad, Gujarat
19-20 April
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
21-22 April
New Delhi, Delhi
Stay Tuned
Resources
The Indian Innings: Play Bold or Play Safe?
This article explores the ideas, challenges, and ambitions shaping India’s future. It reflects the perspectives of young people envisioning the country’s path to its centenary year.
India in Future Tense: 47 Words Shaping 2047
Created by the Next Generation India Fellows, this dictionary captures the trends and ideas defining India in 2047. These 47 words reflect the hopes, challenges, and transformations shaping the country’s path to its centenary year.
From Aspiration to Action
Young Indians Today, Shaping Tomorrow
Dive into the stories of young Indians turning bold ideas into real-world impact—discover how they’re shaping the future, one breakthrough at a time.
Meet the Next Generation India Fellows
The Next Generation India Fellows program is a partnership between the UN Foundation’s Our Future Agenda program and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).