Assam’s Sukanaya Sonowal selected as Commonwealth Peace Ambassador
Person in News
5 min read
Sukanya Sonowal, a native of the Lakhimpur district of Assam, has been selected as the Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassador. She has been selected as a member of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassador Network (CYPAN).
Sukanya Sonowal has been selected as the Lead - Communications & Public Relations for a two-year term of 2025 - 2027.
About Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassadors Network (CYPAN)
The Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassadors Network (CYPAN) is part of the Youth Commonwealth of the Commonwealth of Nations.
The Commonwealth of Nations is an association of 56 independent countries of Asia, Africa, Europe and the Pacific region.
The Youth Commonwealth, supported by the Commonwealth Secretariat, promotes various youth initiatives that involve the youth of the member countries, enabling them to exchange views and perspectives on global issues affecting young people, such as poverty, climate change, and conflicts.
The CYPAN is one of the many initiatives of the Youth Commonwealth.
Function of the CYPAN
- Bring together the youth of the Commonwealth to promote peace, respect, and understanding, and prevent violent extremism.
- To foster collaboration between members and create space for policy advocacy as it relates to peace and countering violent extremism.
About Sukanya Sonowal
Sukanya Sonowal is currently a 4th-year student of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati and is pursuing her B.Tech in Biosciences and Bioengineering.
Over the past four years, she has actively participated in IIT Guwahati's flagship techno-management festival, Techniche. This has helped her develop skills in communication and public relations, which have contributed to her selection for the lead Communications & Public Relations role in the CYPAN.
Sukanya Sonowa is also the co-founder of STEMvibe, a STEM initiative for Viksit Bharat Empowerment.
The initiative focuses on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) outreach, aiming to empower students across India.
About the Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations is a group of sovereign countries that were once British colonies.
Its origin is traced to the British Commonwealth of Nations, which was set up in 1926 by Britain and its Dominions.
Dominion referred to countries like Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, which were Independent but accepted the British Monarch as their Head of State.
Independence of India
- India gained independence in 1947 and decided to become a Republic. India refused to accept the British monarch as its Head of State but it wanted to be a member of the Commonwealth.
- To accommodate India, a Commonwealth Prime Ministers meeting was held in London in 1949, and the rules were amended. Now, any country can become a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
Membership
Earlier, countries that were once British colonies were members of the Commonwealth.
But four countries - Mozambique, Rwanda, Gabon and Togo have become members of the Commonwealth without being a colony of Britain.
Members - 56 countries
Head of the Commonwealth - British Monarch
Secretariat - London, Britain
