Kanchan Amatya

Kanchan Amatya is an award-winning international development leader, Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, and an architect of systems-level change. She designs and scales solutions that reshape policy and rewire institutions to build people-centered resilience in equity, sustainability, and peace.

She currently serves on the Advisory Board and the Global Leadership Council of UNICEF's Generation Unlimited, launched by the UN Secretary-General at the UN General Assembly, where she catalyzes private-sector investment in sustainable, inclusive growth by bridging innovation, investment, and impact. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Sustainable Fish Farming Initiative (SFFI), a groundbreaking social enterprise that has assisted more than 50,000 rural women farmers in combating extreme hunger and poverty through training, micro-loans, and support for sustainable enterprise development in South Asia. Kanchan has worked extensively with grassroots leaders in the region, connecting their social justice agendas to development processes. She is also the co-author of the Global Girls Bill of Rights unveiled by UN Women on the International Day of the Girl.

Her leadership contributed to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 70/1 and the Sustainable Development Goals, including the inclusion of Goal 16 on Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, influencing policy and budget priorities across 193 countries.

She has co-led the Youth Assembly at the United Nations' Resolution Committee, addressed the UN General Assembly, and mentored young delegates from more than 80 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. Her work has been recognized with the Presidential Honor Roll Award presented by President Bill Clinton, the Rice Award for Excellence in International Development, the Diana Legacy Award, and Forbes 30 Under 30 recognition in social entrepreneurship.