Pathways to Climate-Resilient and People-Centric Development

As Odisha moves steadily toward its centenary in 2036, the state faces a defining moment: how to balance economic aspirations with ecological integrity and social justice across its diverse coastal, tribal, and agrarian geographies. Increasing climate extremes, environmental degradation, and extractive development pressures have made it clear that a new, landscape-based development paradigm is no longer optional but essential.

In this backdrop, the 6^th edition of the Odisha Vikash Conclave (OVC) 2025 was held on 26-27 November 2025, themed ‘Pathways to Climate-Resilient and People-Centric Development’ in collaboration with the Government of Odisha, UNFPA & 45+ like-minded organizations. Since its inception in 2016 under the banner of the Odisha Development Initiative (ODI), the Conclave has evolved into a flagship platform for collective dialogue, convergence, and action on Odisha’s development priorities. This year, OVC envisions Odisha as a regenerative, climate-resilient state where people-centred governance, just markets, and healthy ecosystems reinforce each other. The conclave is structured around five strategic pillars: ecosystem protection and restoration; climate-resilient livelihoods and just transitions; knowledge and technology for locally led innovation; civic action and decentralized governance; and addressing vulnerability multipliers such as disasters, migration, and Gender vulnerabilities. Together, these themes emphasize community stewardship, indigenous knowledge, green jobs, adaptive social protection, and area-based planning.

This OVC brought together an unprecedented coalition of more than 700 actors, including UN organizations, 117 civil society organizations, 31 CSR partners, and 157 PRIs, alongside policymakers, private sector leaders, youth, women leaders, academics, and grassroots champions such as farmers, fishers, and forest stewards. Extensive engagement with national and state media, including community radio, ensures that the dialogue travels from the grassroots to the global canvas.

The conclave aimed to deliver concrete outcomes, including a Climate and Development Policy Brief, a Climate Action Practitioners’ Collective, and a knowledge compendium of scalable models. More than a conference, OVC 2025 is a convergence of ecology, economy, and emotion, inviting Odisha’s thinkers, doers, and dreamers to co-create a blueprint for a resilient and inclusive future.