Youth Innovation Lab

**𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐬 - 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭! **

On 24 April 2026, Youth Innovation Lab (YI-Lab) and UNDP Nepal gathered in Kathmandu for the YECAP Nepal Shakers Fellowship 2025 Reflection Event- a moment to pause, look back, and celebrate what twenty young climate leaders have built since their training last November.

The event celebrated the outcomes of 9 youth-led climate projects implemented across 7 provinces of Nepal, reaching over 10,000 community members and resulting in 5 enacted municipal policies. Fellows demonstrated exceptional technical capacity, with UN representatives commending the visible application of theory of change and design thinking principles taught during the fellowship training phase.

From restoring a landslide-buried spring in a Dalit community in Dhulikhel, to establishing eco-clubs in 9 schools across Dailekh that led to 4 enacted municipal policies these young leaders didn't just design climate solutions. They implemented them, tested them, and earned the trust of local governments along the way. In Bharatpur, fellows went a step further, submitting a policy brief for inclusion in the Metropolitan "Red Book" as a formal commitment to embedding youth-led climate action into the city's long-term governance framework. In Duhabi and Putalibazar, waste management initiatives collectively engaged 6,300+ beneficiaries covering all 12 wards of Duhabi, mobilizing community members, students, and transport workers in Putalibazar, and leaving behind 125 dustbins, 500+ trees, and outputs formally integrated into municipal plans. In Ghorahi and Tilottama, fellows worked directly with smallholder farmers 88% from marginalised communities in Ghorahi introducing mulching, IPM techniques, drought-tolerant varieties, and jholmol bio-pesticide preparation, putting farmers on track for a 30–40% cut in chemical pesticide use and securing a municipal marketing roadmap to connect them to sustainable markets.

Six Special Recognition Awards were presented, honoring outstanding performance in GESI integration, innovation, community engagement, climate impact, scalability, and sustainability.

A defining feature of the event was the presence of senior local government officials from all municipalities whose endorsement reflected the credibility our fellows built through months of ground-level engagement including Mayor Ajay Prakash of Katahariya Municipality, who called for continued youth-led technical capacity-building in flood-vulnerable communities.

The YECAP fellowship continues to grow. We look forward to an even stronger cohort ahead.

🌐 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞: youthinnovationlab.org/fellowships/yecap-nepal-shakers-fellowship-2025

𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡: UNDP Nepal, Youth Empowerment in Climate Action Platform - YECAP

**𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐6**

On 28 April 2026, Kathmandu Metropolitan City took an important step toward monsoon preparedness. At a meeting with Youth Innovation Lab, data revealed that over 15% of buildings are exposed to flood risk, highlighting the urgency to act.

Acting Mayor Sunita Dongol emphasized data-driven planning, focusing on awareness in high-risk areas, rapid response systems, and a strong preparedness plan. The city is also working with key national agencies to ensure coordinated action.

With flood hotspots now identified, Kathmandu is shifting from reactive response to proactive planning and is committed to ensuring every neighborhood is informed, prepared, and protected before the rains arrive.

With: काठमाडौँ महानगरपालिका-Kathmandu Metropolitan City Office, Pradip Khatiwada, Sunita Dangol, Sabin Dotel

🚀 Proud moment for Youth Innovation Lab!

The UN Office of Digital and Emerging Technologies has featured our flagship project Shikshya.org on the UN Digital Cooperation Portal.

Shikshya.org is Nepal’s free, multilingual e-learning platform building critical skills from spotting misinfo to digital rights and agri-entrepreneurship.

When climate crisis meets information crisis, communities need more than data. They need the skills to use it.

Big shoutout to our technical team, partners, and everyone making this possible.

**𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭!! 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐥’𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦**

While innovation and technology are shaping today’s economy, limited access to skills and opportunities continues to leave many rural and marginalized youth behind. UDAAN aims to change this by empowering Nepali youth with digital skills, innovation, and career pathways, building a workforce ready for the digital economy.

Led by Youth Innovation Lab in partnership with Heifer Project Nepal, NAAMII, Women in Animation and supported by the European Union, we are looking for passionate individuals to join the team:

Join the team as
🔹 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫, apply before 26 April 2026 and to apply: https://www.jobsnepal.com/communication-and-outreach-officer-141878
🔹 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩 & 𝐇𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫, apply before 3 May 2026 and to apply: https://www.jobsnepal.com/bootcamp-and-hackathon-coordinator-141879
🔹 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫, apply before 26 April 2026 and to apply: https://www.jobsnepal.com/innovation-coordinator-141877

𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸!

𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡: European Union in Nepal EU International Partnerships Naamii