INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 18Climate 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
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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.
NYCAGG
Photo: YI-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
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
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.
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com