A six-day forum, “Empowering Youth with Earth Observation Information for Climate Action,” began today in Khathmandu, Nepal. The event aims to familiarize the 40 participants from around Asia with the power of earth observation as well as fundamental Geographic Information System and remote sensing skills. The focus of the forum is on youth empowerment to enable the next generation to take meaningful action on climate change within their communities and to address the data gaps to better understand the risks and impacts.
The event is organized by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and NASA. The 40 participants were chosen from more than 750 applicants, and hail from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal and Pakistan, with more than half women.
Three other events are taking place during this week under the theme ‘Earth observation to benefit mountain communities of the Himalayan region’. The main event is an International Symposium which starts on 4 October, organized by ICIMOD together with regional and international partners. A workshop on space-based information for disaster preparedness and risk management takes place on 2 and 3 October before the main symposium.
