Samarth Pathak is a public advocacy and communications specialist with interest in sustainable development, the rule of law and regional cooperation. With a 14-year experience in driving public policy and social impact programs, Samarth heads South Asia-focused advocacy, communications and youth/educational initiatives at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Samarth has a proven track record in mobilising strategic partnerships for impact, developing comprehensive cost-effective capacity building and communication programs/strategies that enhance visibility and create high-impact engagements with different stakeholder groups. He specialises in intergovernmental and inter-sectoral affairs, multilateral diplomatic and government engagement, capacity building, multi-stakeholder management, project design, analysis and advocacy.He is currently leading the acclaimed RiseUp4Peace educational initiative for educators and young people, building a collaborative network of educator partners and government entities in India and 35 countries. The initiative involves capacity building of educators, activity-based learning and mentorship engagement for students, co-creation of school-led initiatives and advocacy with policymakers. In response to COVID-19, he also developed the award-wining "Lockdown Learners" series, bridging gender and socio-economic divides. He has moderated high-level forums engaging policymakers, educational leaders and youth-- including the first and second Global Youth Forums convened by the Ministry of Justice, Government of Japan as well as global and regional dialogues organized by UNODC/UNESCO. He has also provided substantive inputs and knowledge support to various national and global policy initiatives on education and youth engagement. Prior to UNODC, Samarth worked as a journalist and news producer with prominent media organisations and moved to the policy-development space in his stints with reputed international think tanks. Samarth has previously written for The Huffington Post, Medium, The Guardian, Reuters Alertnet, The Dawn, Hardnews and The Asian Age, and has appeared as a panelist in various media dialogues and podcasts. Open to take on a leadership role in strengthening public policy/advocacy/strategic initiatives aimed at maximising social impact and visibility. Keen to provide strategic advisory support to initiatives and startups focused on Edtech for social change and youth/community engagement.To connect, please drop in a message in DM. Also available on Twitter and Facebook.
Listed skills include Track Ii Diplomatic Initiatives, Public Affairs, Communications, Content Production, and 46 others.