Uddeshya, WRI India’s flagship annual conference, was created as a collaborative platform to advance gender-responsive urban mobility in India. Over the years, it has evolved into a space for sustained dialogue and action, bringing together policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and civil society to strengthen gender inclusion across urban mobility systems.

Uddeshya 2026 will highlight the mobility needs of caregivers and persons with disabilities through a gender lens and explore how cities can design transport systems that better reflect lived realities.
 

Uddheshya 2026


Women’s mobility in urban India is driven by a disproportionate share of unpaid care responsibilities (9.6 times that of men) resulting in complex travel patterns that current transport systems neither fully understand nor address, and contributing to low female participation in economic and political life. Persons with disabilities face similarly barriers: 70% of public transport remains inaccessible in some states, with few affordable, safe, or reliable alternatives. While the estimated economic value of unpaid care work in India stands at 15–17% of GDP, failing to ensure disability inclusion could cost the country over USD 210 billion.

As cities prepare to house more than half of the world’s population by 2050, their design and growth patterns will shape people’s access to jobs, essential services, and overall quality of life. Embedding universal design principles and accessibility standards into urban infrastructure and mobility systems can ensure equal access to education, employment, and civic life for all—while unlocking significant economic potential.

Sutradhaar: Stories from Everyday Journeys 

Public transport does more than move people across cities—it shapes everyday lives, opportunities, and connections. Sutradhaar is a storytelling and listening platform that brings these lived experiences to the forefront. 

This year, Sutradhaar invites entries around the theme “An Ode to Public Transport.” Individuals from all walks of life are encouraged to share a journey where public transport played a meaningful role in shaping their personal, professional, or emotional path.

These stories celebrate public transport not merely as infrastructure, but as a life-enabling public system that quietly connects people to education, work, communities, and opportunity.

Through an open call and curated storytelling experience, Sutradhaar aims to capture the diverse ways in which public transport shapes our cities and the people who live in them. Selected stories will be showcased during Uddeshya 2026, offering a powerful reminder that mobility systems are ultimately about the journeys and lives they enable. 

Selected stories will be showcased at Uddeshya 2026, and winners will be recognized through the Awards across different categories.

Apply here 

Uddeshya Awards 2026 

The Uddeshya Awards recognize individuals and organizations that are advancing inclusive, gender-responsive mobility across India. The awards celebrate leadership, innovation, and on-ground impact in making mobility systems safer, more accessible, and equitable for all. 

Award Categories 

  • Sheroes 
    Honoring women who have demonstrated exceptional dedication and service as on-ground operators in the transport sector, such as auto-rickshaw drivers, bus drivers, or similar roles.
  • Policy Pioneer 
    Recognizing individuals or organizations that have introduced groundbreaking policies, frameworks, or governance approaches that promote gender equality and inclusivity in mobility systems.
  • Technology Trailblazer 
    Honoring innovators who have made significant contributions to advancing technology that improves accessibility, safety, or gender inclusion in mobility.
  • Community Catalyst 
    Celebrating organizations or individuals who have positively impacted communities through initiatives focused on gender-inclusive mobility.
  • Academic Luminary 
    Acknowledging researchers and scholars who have made meaningful contributions to advancing knowledge in the gender and mobility space. 
     

The awards aim to highlight diverse efforts, from policy innovation to grassroots leadership, that are shaping more inclusive mobility ecosystems in India. 

Uddeshya 2026 is being organized under the aegis of MobiliseHER, a three-year project, supported by the European Union, to enable gender-responsive urban mobility in Indian cities, in partnership with Urban Electric Mobility Initiative (UEMI), WRI India, CEPT Research and Development Foundation and PRIA India. 

For more details, contact [email protected]