UNDP sets stage to lure more Lankan youth to action change around the world

First row from left: UNDP Sri Lanka Programme Coordination Associate Climate and Environment Anuradha Withanachchi, UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub Deputy Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific and Director Christophe Bahuet, Sports and Youth Affairs Ministry Secretary Dr. Amal Harsha de Silva, UNICEF in Sri Lanka Deputy Representative Emma Brigham and Lassana Kolonnawa Wetland Conservation Youth Network Vice President Isuru Ranaweera
Second row from left: UNDP Sri Lanka Policy Specialist and Team Leader Policy and Engagement Fadhil Bakeer Markar, Lassana Kolonnawa Wetland Conservation Youth Network President Lakshani Sandeepani, Thuru and Zero Trash Co-Founder Hasanka Paddukka, Ecohub.lk Co-Founder Tharindu Abeyratna, Lassana Kolonnawa Wetland Conservation Youth Network Member Hasini Isurika and Lassana Kolonnawa Wetland Conservation Youth Network Member Pasan Wijemanne 

In an effort to lure in more Lankan youth to action change around the world, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sri Lanka launched two new calls for young innovators to act on climate change and conservation in the country.

To mark International Youth Day 2022 and to encourage having youth-led discussions centred around advocating for Youth Climate Action for a socially inclusive recovery, the UNDP launched the HackaDev Green Innovation Challenge and Movers4Climate programme yesterday.

The launch of the two programmes by UNDP Sri Lanka comes from an increased focus on Green Development and speaking to the key role young 
people play.

UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub Deputy Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific and Director Christophe Bahuet speaking at the launch event asserted that Sri Lanka is at crossroads, at which the youth have a crucial role to play and a contribution to make to build a better future for the nation.
“...a future of economic rebound to be filled by young entrepreneurs, innovative economic activities; a future of inclusive governance and social harmony with transparency, accountability and the participation of all, including the youth and a future of sustainable development for the country and the world,” he said addressing the launch event in Colombo yesterday.

The programmes are carried out in collaboration with partners, including the Sports and Youth Affairs Ministry, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Sri Lanka, Youth Co:Lab co-led by Citi Foundation and UNDP and Citra Social Innovation Lab.
Both the HackaDev Green Innovation Challenge and Movers4Climate programme were launched through UNDP Sri Lanka’s flagship youth platform HackaDev. 

The former was introduced to crowdsource innovative solutions to build a greener and sustainable economy in Sri Lanka and the latter as part of introducing the regional Asia and Pacific movement to enhance awareness on acting on climate change and broadly on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Sri Lankan context.
The steady decline of climate resilience, due to the impact of global warming and related issues, has been a cause for concern in many social innovation programmes. In line with this, the HackaDev Green Innovation Challenge invites all young women and men in Sri Lanka to address the challenge in achieving the environment-related SDGs through designing innovative solutions, whilst creating sustainable social enterprises to contribute toward both the environment and economy of the country.

Movers4Climate is a climate awareness-raising and skill development programme that equips young people with the tools and skills needed to become effective climate advocates and leaders, working at national level to influence climate-related decisions. The programme is designed to enhance young global citizenship skills, improve leadership skills and increase future job prospects.
Both programmes are supported by Youth Co:Lab, an initiative co-led by UNDP and the Citi Foundation.