Asia Pacific Youth Forum on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Crisis 2021

A Children and Youth Consultation Workshop for the 9th Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction 2022

Strengthening, Empowering, and Mobilizing Young People for DRR and Climate Action: Building resilience through youth leadership

Time: 11:30am (Bangkok)

Asia Pacific Youth Forum on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Crisis, 2021(A Children and Youth Consultation Workshop for the 9th Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction 2022) going to held on 29th and 30th April 2021 aims to strengthen, empower, and mobilize young people for DRR and Climate Action. It is a special event designed to build resilience through youth leadership. Youths are considered as those people between the age group of 15 and 24 years, without prejudice to other definitions by the Member States as defined by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1981. The workshop is one of the mechanisms that allows children and youth in the Asia Pacific to voice out their concerns and influence different stakeholders at all levels in order to be heard and given importance for the future of a resilient world.

Disasters growing to be more prominent and severe day by day due to different human activities and interventions pose a high risk and impact over the vulnerable groups including children and youths. Every year, millions of children and youth globally were affected by both natural hazards and human-induced disasters. Children and youth are particularly vulnerable both during and after disasters. Often hit first and hardest when disasters strike, children and youth experience disproportionately large impacts to their physical and mental health; nutritional needs; access to education; economic opportunities; exposure to violence as well as many other limiting side effects. Children and youth living in poverty and other vulnerable situations face even higher risks, especially as climate change increases the magnitude and number of disasters around the world. Ensuring that their needs are met and their contributions are integrated into disaster reduction efforts is critical to upholding their rights.

This event aims to capture the voices and statements of the young people with their inputs and recommendations for the policymakers in the form of youth stakeholder-group action statement of Asia Pacific Youth call to Action which will be used as an advocacy document and lead up the children and youth engagement to the 9th Asia Pacific Ministerial Climate and Disaster Risk Reduction(APMCDRR).  Moreover, this event also help to facilitate a platform to raise awareness through sharing experiences and insights from youth based on their research findings, provide an evidence-based foundation and promote dialogue among Asia Pacific researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers and encourage dialogue and collaboration between youth and key policy partners including governments, multilateral on the importance of DRR to achieve Sustainable Development along with to provide a platform to share experiences and insights from the youth on the climate crisis and disasters.