Sukanya Sonowal, IIT Guwahati student, appointed as Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassador with innovative communication plan
Sukanya Sonowal, a final-year Biosciences and Bioengineering student at IIT Guwahati, has been appointed as Lead for Communications & Public Relations on the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassadors Network (CYPAN) for the 2025–2027 term. Representing all 56 member nations of the Commonwealth, CYPAN is a youth-led initiative dedicated to promoting peace, mutual respect, and intercultural understanding, while actively countering violent extremism. Sonowal’s selection followed a rigorous three-stage process that assessed her leadership capabilities, peacebuilding experiences, and strong commitment to the core values of the Commonwealth.
Originally from the Lakhimpur district of Assam, Sonowal brings a distinctive blend of technical acumen and grassroots engagement to her role. She has demonstrated outstanding leadership in both education and youth development through initiatives such as co-founding STEMvibe, a national outreach programme aimed at promoting STEM education across India. STEMvibe has impacted over 3,000 students, particularly focusing on bridging educational disparities in tribal communities of Northeast India by integrating traditional knowledge with modern scientific concepts. This culturally sensitive approach has empowered local youth to become STEM ambassadors, enabling sustainable, community-led educational initiatives.
Sonowal’s passion for STEM education and communication flourished during her time at IIT Guwahati, where she also helmed The Integral Cup, India’s first undergraduate-level mathematics competition focused on integrals. The competition attracted over 2,500 participants in its inaugural edition, underscoring her ability to orchestrate large-scale, youth-centric platforms. Additionally, her role as Media and Branding Head for Techniche, IIT Guwahati’s flagship techno-management festival, saw her develop sophisticated communication skills while managing a team of over 150 members. These experiences fed directly into her successful appointment at CYPAN, where communication is pivotal to fostering understanding and cooperation across diverse Commonwealth communities.
Sonowal articulates a compelling vision for her tenure at CYPAN, centred on innovative communication strategies designed to deepen youth engagement across diverse cultural contexts. Her five-pronged plan includes launching the "CYPAN Voices" multimedia storytelling series to humanise the peacebuilding process, creating an Ambassador Communications Toolkit to empower country representatives with adaptable content templates, establishing an Interactive Digital Hub for cross-cultural dialogue, identifying Strategic Partnership Networks with media and academic entities, and founding Innovation Labs for Peace that harness technology and creativity to address conflict resolution. These initiatives underscore a sophisticated grasp of digital storytelling, multilingual communication, and data-driven engagement that promises to amplify youth voices effectively throughout the Commonwealth.
Her strategic communication approach emphasises decentralised storytelling to ensure authentic representation from all Commonwealth nations, recognising the importance of multi-platform and multi-language strategies tailored to different regions and demographics. Sonowal’s experience collaborating with global firms such as Optiver, QRT, and Jane Street has honed her skills in managing complex, cross-cultural communications and cultivating trusted partnerships—an experience that aligns closely with CYPAN’s international remit. She highlights the critical role of transparency, adaptability, and cultural sensitivity in building lasting relationships and sustaining impactful collaborations.
Sonowal challenges common misconceptions about technical professionals as detached from social issues. She describes her IIT education as foundational for analytical rigor and cultural empathy, enabling her to navigate complex peacebuilding challenges with both precision and sensitivity. Drawing from her grassroots work in remote Northeast Indian communities, she stresses that authentic global leadership combines local engagement with a broad, inclusive perspective.
Looking ahead, Sonowal’s aspirations extend beyond her CYPAN role. She envisions establishing regional innovation labs that meld education, technology, and artistic expression to foster peace, alongside scaling inclusive STEM education programmes across South Asia. She aims to develop media platforms that elevate underrepresented voices in peacebuilding and to bridge academic research with practical solutions through advanced studies in computational social science or digital peacebuilding. Central to her long-term mission is mentoring young people from non-traditional backgrounds, ensuring diverse voices shape global conversations on peace and development.
Offering advice to emerging leaders, Sonowal urges young Indians and STEM students to leverage their technical backgrounds in service of social impact while cultivating strong communication skills. Emphasising the value of staying connected to one’s roots and embracing failure as a learning tool, she advocates for grassroots action paired with global thinking. Her own journey—from Assam to the international stage—illustrates the power of dedication, empathy, and strategic communication in transforming young people into influential peace advocates.
Sukanya Sonowal personifies a new generation of global youth leaders, adept at integrating science and communication to foster dialogue, cooperation, and lasting peace across cultures. Her story is a powerful testament to the potential of youth-driven initiatives within organisations like CYPAN to address complex social challenges with innovative, inclusive, and scalable solutions.