Helen's Climate Symposium image
Friday 07 June 2024

The British Council kicked off the Youth and Climate 2024: Towards Creative Green Economy and Climate Action event on June 3 to bring together stakeholders from diverse backgrounds to explore the intersection of creative green economy and youth leadership in climate action. The event continued till June 10.

Through a series of activities, the participants engaged in conversations to discuss climate change-related challenges and opportunities. The programme provided a platform to share how youth – through innovation, advocacy, and action – can respond to the climate emergency.  

In collaboration with a consortium of UK and Nepal partners, we organised a one-day symposium on creative green economy and climate action, an interactive talk programme on material culture workshops and masterclasses for students and creative professionals. 

A week-long exhibition featured innovative green projects at Taragaon Next, Boudha. 

The activities brought together thought leaders, artists, activists, community members, academicians, educators, and youth innovators to explore creativity, entrepreneurship, and environmental sustainability contributing to a greener future.  

H.E. Rob Fenn, British Ambassador to Nepal in his opening remarks said, ‘Youth and climate change are the best two words to refresh the relationship between the UK and Nepal. It is an area where we can bring the youth of both countries together as this is the common issue faced by youth from both the countries.’

Helen Silvester, Regional Director, South Asia, British Council at the opening of the symposium said, ‘Today, as we are coming together to explore the domain of Creative Green Economy and the pivotal role of youth leadership in climate action, let us remember that creativity and innovation are powerful catalysts for sustainable development.’

Our UK partner, Inge Panneels from Edinburgh Napier University said, ‘A Creative Green Economy can become a real engine for change: but is OUR job, our collective job – it is not to rest on the shoulders of young people alone, or of designers, or come to think of it, policymakers alone. It is our collective responsibility as citizens to do this – globally, locally, together.’

What’s exciting for me is seeing how the quintuple bottom line framework, which came out of the In Our Hands program, moves into local policy. I am looking forward to seeing how the framework might support local agencies to work with local communities.’

Our local partner Saurav Dhakal from Story Cycle saidThe symposium felt like a breakthrough for those of us who have been working towards a Creative Green Economy. The Green Economy has been a part of the conversation for some time now. But, Creative Green Economy, a concept we have been experimenting with and trying to mainstream, felt like it was endorsed at the symposium by important stakeholders such as those working in public policy. ‘

At the symposium, we launched the Policy Brief on Creative Green Economy in Nepal. The Creative Green Economy was conceptualised through Nepal-UK exchanges focusing on craft, climate change and intergenerational empowerment. It was developed with a consortium of partners representing academic, civil society and private sector expertise and initiatives.

The policy brief can be downloaded from here.

We also launched the research report on Study on Nepalese Youth and Climate Action – Perceptions, Aspirations and Understandings. The research report assesses young people’s understanding of climate change and other global challenges and their readiness for leadership for climate action. The study provides evidence-based recommendations for enhancing youth engagement in climate initiatives in Nepal.

 The research report can be downloaded from here.

About the British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. We do this through our work in arts and culture, education and the English language. We work with people in over 200 countries and territories and are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2022–23 we reached 600 million people.www.britishcouncil.org.np