KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 18

Climate concerns have become increasingly important, and young people are now crucial players in the fight against climate change, responding to extreme weather events, and creating a better world to live in. To support youth in their efforts, the Youth Innovation Lab (YI-Lab) introduced the second cohort of the Climate Fellowship Grant from April 16 to October 17, 2023, which is part of the Nepali Yuwa in Climate Action and Green Growth (NYCAGG) project, supported by the European Union.

The Climate Fellowship Grant provides hands-on experience in climate change, governance, and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) to young professionals who work as Climate Fellows in various project municipalities. This year, the program was implemented in nine municipalities and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law of Karnali Province. These municipalities include Chaukune Rural Municipality, Barahatal Rural Municipality, Panchapuri Municipality, Thantikandh Rural Municipality, Bhairabi Rural Municipality, Naraharinath Rural Municipality, Khadachakra Municipality, Mahawai Rural Municipality, and Tilagufa Municipality, according to the statement issued by Youth Innovation Lab.

'The selected Climate Fellows were stationed in these municipalities and the provincial ministry for a period of five months. Their main tasks included supporting the localization of an integrated Disaster Information Management System called Bipad Portal, initiated by the Government of Nepal, and the development of Local Disaster and Climate Resilience Plans (LDCRP). Additionally, they aided municipal and provincial governments in the administration and operation of the Bipad portal, as well as the collection and digitization of data on 19 categories of critical infrastructure consisting of 1480 data points. During their stay, the Climate Fellows collaborated with local officials and ward representatives to gather vital data and create plans for the LDCRP.'

Data from 82 wards were digitized and 2,123 community members were reached through Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (VCA). Also, a draft of the municipal LDCRP was shared with the nine municipalities, YI-Lab said.

Following the sensitization and capacity-building activities at the provincial and municipal levels, the Bipad Portal was officially launched in the nine project municipalities between August 28 and September 8, 2023, and in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law on September 21, 2023.

The launch events were organized by the provincial and municipal governments and attended by various stakeholders, including disaster management committee members, DRR focal persons, IT officers, department heads, and DRR stakeholders, along with the NYCAGG team.At the launch event, the chairperson of Naraharinath Rural Municipality, Nagendra Bahadur Bista underlined the municipality's newfound responsibility to update the data and use it for the planning process. He also emphasized the imperative for development agencies to work together complementing each other's work and creating synergies.

Likewise, the chairperson of Bhairabi Rural Municipality, Rita Kumari Shahi emphasized how the digitalized data from the portal would help the municipality to access the infrastructures of the city and make plans accordingly while helping the Nepal Police for easy access to disaster information. Sharing at the municipalities and province ministry, Goma Karki, Project Lead, emphasized the use of Bipad Portal data and its need for risk-informed decision-making.

Youth Innovation Lab is a not-for-profit civic tech company that works at the intersection of emerging cutting-edge technological tools and their applications by equipping young professionals to solve emerging challenges in our community.