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COVID-19 and youth: UNESCO Celebrates Youth Day in Nepal
Youth have the creativity, the potential, and the capacity to make change happen – for themselves, for their communities, and for the rest of the world.
To celebrate International Youth Day 2020, in leadership and coordination of the Youth Advocacy Nepal, UNESCO joined hands with the National Youth Council, UNV, and ActionAid Nepal, as well as other youth organizations, and organized a three-day virtual National Youth Conference from 11 to 13 August 2020. The conference discussed various issues related to education, volunteerism, ecological democracy, the fight against gender-based violence, and the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on youth and their role in the response.
In the panel discussion “Education System in Nepal: Issues, Challenges, and Ways Forward in the Light of COVID-19", Balaram Timalsina, Chief of the Education Unit in UNESCO Kathmandu Office, shared the alternative modules of education taking place in Nepal during this pandemic. These include online classes, television-based teaching, lessons through community radio etc. He also explained the role UNESCO is playing, in teamwork with the Government of Nepal, to ensure the continuity of learning during the closures. Concerning the reopening of schools, Timalsina stated that there is a need for collaboration among concerned stakeholders–schools, local governments, health agencies, local communities, and more–to ensure that the schools are safe to reopen. He highlighted the crucial role youth can play in this regard.
Similarly, Dr. Usha Jha, Member of National Planning Commission, pointed out the changing role of the Government due to this pandemic, particularly the Ministry of Education and National Planning Commission, as well as UNESCO and other stakeholders. As she put it, the Ministry of Education formulates policies, develops mechanisms, and provides technical support; whereas the local government gives innovative solutions. She said that the pandemic should be taken as an opportunity. “There are a lot of things to be figured out and set, but I am hopeful that we will find a better way into a better future,” she stated.
The session on volunteerism in the light of COVID-19 highlighted how volunteer mobilization in communities had brought hope. The UNV, Restless Development, VSO Nepal, ActionAid Nepal, National Disabled Youth Network Nepal, and Emergency Response Center came together for this session. "Volunteers are doing important work. Although they cannot work as before, there is a compulsion to use different technology to tackle new challenges,” said Moon Gurung, Country Representative of UNV.
In the virtual workshop young volunteers shared their ideas and experiences working in disaster and humanitarian settings.
The conference also had a global youth experience sharing session attended by young people from 18 countries. The participants were virtually present from Europe, Asia, America, and Africa. The impacts of COVID-19 on youth, responses from governments, and stakeholders’ roles and efforts to tackle the new problems were key concerns in the discussion.
Christian Manhart, UNESCO Representative to Nepal, highlighted that youth are facing many challenges but they also have innovative ideas to solve the crucial issues. He said, “This lockdown situation can be seen as an opportunity to learn new things. Youth can engage themselves in teaching in the communities where they are now.”
In regards to education, UNESCO, along with many other organizations, is focusing on the use of alternative means of learning and solutions to make reopening schools a reality.
To celebrate International Youth Day 2020, in leadership and coordination of the Youth Advocacy Nepal, UNESCO joined hands with the National Youth Council, UNV, and ActionAid Nepal, as well as other youth organizations, and organized a three-day virtual National Youth Conference from 11 to 13 August 2020. The conference discussed various issues related to education, volunteerism, ecological democracy, the fight against gender-based violence, and the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on youth and their role in the response.
In the panel discussion “Education System in Nepal: Issues, Challenges, and Ways Forward in the Light of COVID-19", Balaram Timalsina, Chief of the Education Unit in UNESCO Kathmandu Office, shared the alternative modules of education taking place in Nepal during this pandemic. These include online classes, television-based teaching, lessons through community radio etc. He also explained the role UNESCO is playing, in teamwork with the Government of Nepal, to ensure the continuity of learning during the closures. Concerning the reopening of schools, Timalsina stated that there is a need for collaboration among concerned stakeholders–schools, local governments, health agencies, local communities, and more–to ensure that the schools are safe to reopen. He highlighted the crucial role youth can play in this regard.
Similarly, Dr. Usha Jha, Member of National Planning Commission, pointed out the changing role of the Government due to this pandemic, particularly the Ministry of Education and National Planning Commission, as well as UNESCO and other stakeholders. As she put it, the Ministry of Education formulates policies, develops mechanisms, and provides technical support; whereas the local government gives innovative solutions. She said that the pandemic should be taken as an opportunity. “There are a lot of things to be figured out and set, but I am hopeful that we will find a better way into a better future,” she stated.
The session on volunteerism in the light of COVID-19 highlighted how volunteer mobilization in communities had brought hope. The UNV, Restless Development, VSO Nepal, ActionAid Nepal, National Disabled Youth Network Nepal, and Emergency Response Center came together for this session. "Volunteers are doing important work. Although they cannot work as before, there is a compulsion to use different technology to tackle new challenges,” said Moon Gurung, Country Representative of UNV.
In the virtual workshop young volunteers shared their ideas and experiences working in disaster and humanitarian settings.
The conference also had a global youth experience sharing session attended by young people from 18 countries. The participants were virtually present from Europe, Asia, America, and Africa. The impacts of COVID-19 on youth, responses from governments, and stakeholders’ roles and efforts to tackle the new problems were key concerns in the discussion.
Christian Manhart, UNESCO Representative to Nepal, highlighted that youth are facing many challenges but they also have innovative ideas to solve the crucial issues. He said, “This lockdown situation can be seen as an opportunity to learn new things. Youth can engage themselves in teaching in the communities where they are now.”
In regards to education, UNESCO, along with many other organizations, is focusing on the use of alternative means of learning and solutions to make reopening schools a reality.
5 September 2020
Last update:20 April 2023
