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The 2024 Youth Climate Action and Disaster Reduction Hackathon was successfully launched
March 20, 2024, the 2024 Youth Climate Action and Disaster Reduction Hackathon, jointly initiated by the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR), the Chinese National Committee for Man and Biosphere Programme (MAB China), the International Centre on Space Technologies for Natural and Cultural Heritage under the auspices of UNESCO (HIST) and Tsinghua University, was officially launched at Tsinghua University.
Ms. Li Ying, the Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, Dr. Ai Sugiura, Programme Specialist of Natural Sciences Sector, UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, Prof. Han Qunli, the Executive Director of IRDR, Prof. Fu Bihong, the Deputy Director of HIST, Ms. Liao Ying, the Director of the Center for Global Competency Development, Tsinghua University and about 100 young students and entrepreneurs attended the event offline and online.
Ms Li Ying, the Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University warmly congratulated the event and expressed her heartfelt thanks and warm welcome to the guests attending the event. She pointed out that the survival and development of human beings have been facing serious challenges in recent years, which requires universities to take the responsibility to strengthen education beyond utilitarianism, guide young people to establish a sense of community, and promote human beings to move firmly towards the goal of sustainable development.
Dr Ai Sugiura, the Programme Specialist of Natural Sciences Sector UNESCO Regional office for East Asia mentioned the 2024 Youth Climate Action and Disaster Risk Reduction Hackathon generously supported by the China Youth Development Foundation-Mercedes-Benz Star Fund, reflects our collective ambition for a sustainable future and the concerted efforts of the UNESCO Beijing Office with other collaborative partners. It represents our shared commitment to advancing scientific inquiry, innovation, and collaboration towards addressing global challenges, Climate Change and DRR which unfortunately does not leave anyone behind. She also encouraged the youth participants to participate actively through their ingenuity and innovative spirits to the Open Science movement and to the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development.
Professor Han Qunli, the Executive Director of IRDR, also expressed his expectations for the event, hoping to take this opportunity to raise awareness of climate change and disaster risk reduction among young people, and to carry out actions that will help young people make a difference. Prof Han also reviewed the results of related projects in 2023, and took the opportunity to hope that the results of this year's competition would be showcased on a higher and bigger international platform, and also wished that the participants would all be innovative and gainful.
Professor Fu Bihong, the Deputy Director of HIST, invited young people around the world to work together to contribute to climate change mitigation and natural disaster reduction by using their innovative capacities, and HIST to support climate action with relevant innovations such as space technology. He pointed out that young people are not only the beneficiaries of climate protection, but also the partners of protection actions. At this critical time when the climate problem is worsening, youth should invest more in action, creativity and cooperation for a better tomorrow.
With the support of the UNESCO-China Youth Development Foundation-Mercedes-Benz Star Fund project "Accelerating Carbon Neutrality: Innovative Actions for Sustainable Development", the UNESCO Beijing Office, in collaboration with Tsinghua University, the Chinese National Committee for Man and the Biosphere Programme and the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk Programme (IRDR) held the 2023 Youth Climate Action and Disaster Risk Reduction Hackathon Event in Chebaling Biosphere Reserves. The winner representative of last year, Ms Peng Yingtong, the Brand Leader of the Urethane Tinglan Grass and Tree Project, delivered a roadshow presentation of her project. The project drives agricultural production, ecological restoration and greening of buildings to achieve value-added in primary production and rural revitalization.
At the meeting, youth representatives from different fields were also invited to introduce their experiences and expectations of participating in climate change and disaster reduction practices from different perspectives.
In order to enhance the youth's in-depth understanding of climate change issues, a series of training courses are also designed for the event of 2024. The course will last until 29th April and will be taught by experts from international organizations, universities and research institutes as well as well-known companies.
On 23 March 2024, Professor Han Qunli from IRDR, delivered the first lectures on climate change issues: "Introduction to Disaster Risk Reduction". The lecture focused on background knowledge in the field of climate change and disaster risk reduction, aiming to promote the global youth community to pay attention to the field of climate change and disaster risk reduction, to establish a global youth action network on climate change and disaster risk reduction, and to provide support and assistance to youth projects with development potential. A total of 74 people participated in this lecture
