Asia-Pacific Mountain Courier: Special issue on youth action for climate change through art Vol 12 No. 1 (2011)

"The Asia Pacific Mountain Network (APMN) is growing at a steady pace. To date, there are 292 organisational and 2,081 individual registered users from 43 countries across the Asia-Pacific region. This shows that stakeholders are recognising more and more the added knowledge value of APMN and the impact the network can have in the wider Asia-Pacific region and beyond to connect, exchange, and share mountain issues. In the context of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) processes, the Rio+20 meeting next year, and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation meeting on the Mountain Agenda and Bhutan’s Climate Summit for a Living Himalayas (both in October 2011), we are entering an exciting year in which we aim to unleash the youth potential to advocate for the mountain agenda and climate change adaptation in various ways under the banner of ‘Youth for Sustainable Mountain Development’ (Y4SMD). Using the lessons learned from previous years, we envision 2011 as a year of empowering and engaging youth in mountain development. This will be realised through a continuation of the ongoing collaboration with SERVIR Himalaya (an ICIMOD initiative supported by NASA and USAID); the British Council’s International Climate Champions programme; the Asia Pacific Youth Forum initiative of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO); and the Youth Encounter on Sustainability course of Activating Talent in Sustainability (ACTIS), a spin-off project of ETH Zurich, among others. New partnerships are being explored in the context of the Education Supporting Sustainable Asian Livelihood (ESSAL) project facilitated by the Himalayan University Consortium of ICIMOD; and the International Programme on Research and Training on Sustainable Management of Mountain Areas (IPROMO) project of the Mountain Partnership. Looking at the present status of the Y4SMD initiative, we already have a number of good stories to share with you. We trained 75 young people last year on climate change adaptation, the use of geographic information systems (GIS) and Earth observation, and knowledge exchange. These individuals are now actively advocating for the mountain agenda and climate change adaptation in ICIMOD’s regional member countries — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal have taken new initiatives such as media campaigning, organising regional conferences, and advocacy of these issues at international meetings, including the UNFCCC processes and Asia Regional Youth Forums. APMN supported youth initiatives in Nepal and India, most noticeably Small Earth Nepal (SEN); Nepalese Youth for Climate Action (NYCA); Climate Himalaya Initiative (CHI); and Youth Network for Social & Environmental Development (YONSED), who have all made significant progress. In 2010 alone, we supported more than 12 youth initiatives in the region, benefiting more than 500 young people. There are many other developments which we will continue to share with you through our publications, website, discussion lists, and thematic digests. Following the positive response to the Mountain Courier special issue on ‘Youth and Climate Change’ of November last year, we are pleased to present this issue showcasing artistic expressions related to climate change contributed by many young people and their motivators and promoters, from the Himalayas to the Alps and beyond." (Daan Boom)