Kathmandu, Nepal: 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.
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.
About the project
Through the financial support of the European Union, Youth Innovation Lab along with the
consortium partners Restless Development, CREASION, and CDMS are implementing Nepali
Yuwa in Climate Action and Green Growth project to promote the involvement of young Nepali
people in green growth, environmental protection, and combatting climate change.
TheYouthCAN.org, https://theyouthcan.org/, is a four-year-long project that will be implemented
in Madhesh Province, Karnali Province, and Sudurpaschim Province. TheYouthCAN.org
focuses on working with young people, and empowering and providing them with a platform to
aid towards the post-COVID recovery and development process. Furthermore, the activities
under Climate Fellowship, Climate Smart Entrepreneurship, Mentee-mentorship, Digital
Advocacy, and Youth Sounding Board work towards empowering young people, providing them
employment opportunities, generating innovative ideas to address climate and environmental
issues, and advocating for policy changes to promote environmental protection.
The four-year project has completed the first year in Madhesh Province and the second year in
Karnali Province. The learnings from Madhesh and Karnali province will be implemented in
Sudurpashchim in the third year, and back to Madhesh in the final year.
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