KATHMANDU, JANUARY 26

The Youth Innovation Lab (YI-Lab) on Wednesday organized the second annual sharing event of Nepali Yuwa in Climate Action and Green Growth, a project funded by the European Union that promotes Nepali youth's inclusion in climate action and green economy.

The event in Kathmandu marked the end of a productive year for the project, popularly known as YouthCAN.org, in Karnali Province, fostering a collaborative space for youth and young professionals to contribute to governance, entrepreneurship, and advocacy in climate change initiatives.

Started in 2022 from Madhesh Province, the project has seen a remarkable level of engagement this year, with 1,954 young people actively participating, 450 government officials receiving orientation, over 3,918 community members involved in critical infrastructure data collection and vulnerability capacity assessments, complemented by the expertise of 17 sectoral and local experts. The climate fellowship program, key components of the project, placed 10 fellows in local governments, collecting over 1,782 data points on critical infrastructure. Additionally, six innovative entrepreneurs received the 2023 Innovation Grant, highlighting the project's commitment to fostering sustainable business solutions. Furthermore, through TagMe, a digital advocacy campaign, more than 600 youth joined data-driven advocacy and collected over 1,500 landslide data to advocate for informed and resilient development, according to the statement issued by the YI-Lab.

The event started with an innovation walk to showcase three project components, where six innovation grant winners of 2023 showcased their products, climate fellows shared their experiences and knowledge generated through the fellowship grant, and digital volunteers shared about the data-driven advocacy through the Tagme campaign.

Speaking on the occasion, Eloisa Astudillo, Deputy Head of Cooperation of the Delegation of the European Union to Nepal, emphasized the importance of harnessing the vitality of youth to tackle climate change, a priority issue for the EU. She noted the progress made in Karnali and expressed eagerness to witness similar transformative efforts in Sudurpaschim in the coming year.

Goma Karki, Project Lead of YouthCAN.org, detailed the project's three pillars: governance, entrepreneurship, and advocacy. She emphasized the project's impact through data integration in climate policy and the tangible benefits of engaging youth in proactive climate action.

Cecial Adhikari, International Director of Programs at Mercy Corps, highlighted the organization's partnership with the Youth Innovation Lab, stressing the collaboration on decision-making, advocacy, and digitalization. Mercy Corps has been instrumental in co-financing the climate fellowship initiative in Madhesh Pradesh and Karnali Province, actively participating from the planning stages to support climate fellows. Adhikari expressed enthusiasm for continued collaboration in future endeavors.

Surendra Basnet, Vice President of the National Youth Council, recognized the role of innovation in combating climate change and pledged ongoing support for entrepreneurial ventures among youth.

Keynote speaker Anil Pokhrel, Chief Executive of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), highlighted the importance of the life-saving potential of accurate data and lauded the contributions of youth to disaster preparedness and resilient development. Echoing the wisdom of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Pokhrel inspired action with the words, 'While we may not be able to construct the future for our youth, we have the power and responsibility to equip our youth for the future.

Pradip Khatiwada, Executive Director of YI-lab, concluded the event with gratitude to the EU and other partners, affirming the organization's dedication to empowering youth in climate change, entrepreneurship, and digital advocacy.

In addition to YI-Lab, the consortium partners of the project are Restless Development Nepal, CREASION, and the Centre for Disaster Management Studies. Present on the occasion were representatives from the consortium partners, officials of the local governments of Karnali where the project was implemented last year as well as young people involved in promoting the environment and combatting climate change.