Abhisekh Shrestha
Climate Champion 2010. Chevening Scholar
I am Abhishek Shrestha from Digo Vikas Institute. In 2010 the British Council selected me International Climate Champion. In this capacity, I travelled to 25 different regional cities of Nepal and conducted climate change training called ‘Climate Leadership’ to the youth in those areas. It was especially rewarding to go to those places and empower the local youth, because the issues of climate change were only being addressed in the capital, Kathmandu.
I attended the 16th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Mexico as one of the British Council’s delegates. There I got the opportunity to meet youth working for climate change from all over the world. I learned about the different UN policy processes; and about the work being carried out by my fellow international climate champions in their respective countries. This exposure really helped me to broaden my network within the international climate movement especiallyYONGO (the youth constituency). I got elected as a YONGO focal point in Durban and worked there for two years (2012/13). All these experiences helped me to get the exposure and network needed to pursue my career in this field.
The journey which started in 2010 still continues as I now work on different policy and process exercises concerning climate change in Nepal. I work closely with the Government of Nepal on different policy documents and last year, just before the Paris Climate Conference, was part of one such exercise.
I would like to congratulate British Council for celebrating 60 successful years in Nepal and to thank you for your work in my country. Hopefully, projects similar to the one which changed my life, and which have a great impact on the ground level, will be carried out in the future as well.