Archana Soreng is a prominent environmental activist from Odisha, India, belonging to the indigenous Kharia tribe. Born in 1996 in Bihabandh village, Sundergarh district, she has dedicated her life to advocating for climate justice, biodiversity conservation, and the preservation of traditional knowledge. Soreng holds a master's degree in Regulatory Governance from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, where she also served as the president of the student union. She is currently a research officer at Vasundhara Odisha; an organization focused on policy advocacy related to natural resource governance and tribal rights.
In 2020, Soreng was appointed as one of the seven members of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change, representing Asia and indigenous communities. In this capacity, she advised the UN on the impacts of climate change on youth and highlighted initiatives led by young people to address the climate crisis. Her work emphasizes the importance of integrating indigenous perspectives into global climate action.