Asia Pacific Youth Forum: Mountain issues and Post 2015 Development Agenda, 30 September – 4 October 2013, Kathmandu, Nepal

Through its Asia-Pacific Mountain Network (APMN), the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) has been engaging youth and building their capacity to bring about positive changes in society through several different initiatives. Since it began in 2009, the global membership of the Youth Engagement in Sustainable Mountain Development (Y4SMD) initiative has grown to 5,000 members, a majority of which are from ICIMOD’s regional member countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. In 2010, ICIMOD started organizing youth forums in member countries to build the technical capacity and leadership skills of youth in the region as well as to enhance their knowledge on the most burning issues in mountain development. The Asia-Pacific Youth Forum on Climate Actions and Mountain Issues in 2011 and the Asia Pacific Graduates’ Youth Forum on Green Economy in 2012 were expanded to include the entire Asia-Pacific region, and the Global Youth Forum on Mountain Issues and Sustainable Actions in 2012 held in conjunction with the Rio+20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, included participants from around the globe. As the preparation and follow-up of the Rio+20 process, In 2012/13 ICIMOD organized a series of National Youth Forums on Green Solutions in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan, ran awareness campaigns in Nepal, Pakistan, and other countries by mobilizing local youth initiatives and ICIMOD Youth Ambassadors. ICIMOD has partnered with more than two dozen regional, national, and global institutes in promoting youth activities and have organized several e-conferences, Climate Cafés, knowledge sharing workshops, the Earth Debate, capacity building events, and promoted networking-advocacy on the sideline of important international events. Some of the youth ambassadors were sent to Rio+20 conference in Brazil, the UNFCCC COP 18 in Doha, and the 2nd Asia Pacific Adaptation Forum in Bangkok to advocate for mountain issues in the context of ongoing debates on  sustainable development and climate change adaptation.