Applications Invited for Youth4Climate Challenge

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About the Organization

The UNDP Rome Centre for Climate Action and Energy Transition, leads the development and implementation of program of initiatives in agreement with its partners embracing all areas of the globe in which UNDP is active and present, with particular focus on areas of strategic mutual priority and maintaining a focus on the African continent for the period 2022-2024. 

It is the principal, integrated global platform for the strategic partnership between the Government of Italy (through the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security – IMEES) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and acts as an operational platform for delivering on Youth, Climate and Energy Initiatives.

About the Grant

The Youth4Climate Challenge is related to the development of solutions and aims to provide an opportunity to generate and implement innovative approches to drive climate action.

The purpose of this form is to offer the possibility to apply for innovation challanges within four thematic areas,food and agricolture,energy,education and urban sustainability.The maximum available prize for each proposal is 20,000 USD and ideas should be implemented over the course of maximum two years from the time of signature of the agreement between the winner and UNDP,following the announcement of the winners currently scheduled for September 2023.

Candidates are not expected to have significant prior experience , the idea is to inspire young people from around the world to focus their skills and creativity to address the climate emergency.

The solutions are characterized by clear, quantifiable and monitorable objectives and a commitment to combining different disciplines in an innovative way or finding synergies between existing programs and funds. These solutions may in turn galvanize additional projects at the regional, national and local scales.

Challenge 1: Youth Driving Ambition

Urban Sustainability

Half of humanity lives in urban settings and this number is projected to rise to two thirds by 2050. Urban resilience – the ability of city dwellers to withstand economic, social, health, environmental, disaster and climate related risks – has acquired renewed urgency and has become central to the sustainable development discourse. Within this context, young people represent a drive for change and the call for solution will challenge them to provide ideas on how to improve urban resilience to the effects of climate change in cities and urban settlements

Challenge 2: Non State Actors Engagement

Food and Agriculture

The results of the food system Summit 2021 and the Youth4Climate Manifesto have highlighted the urgency to transform the world's food system and try to find an innovative solution that can resolve hunger and reduce diet-related diseases and heal the planet. Climate change is putting the food chain production at risk and for many communities and young people, extreme weather events threaten their food security and livelihoods. The call for solution will aim to invert food trends, transforming them into viable projects and business models.

Challenge 3: Climate Conscious Society

Education

It is increasingly recognized that education and learning are crucial for addressing climate change. Education is fundamental for democratic societies and a vital tool for young people to be empowered with knowledge and drive innovation. Education can encourage people to change their attitudes and behavior, and it helps them to make informed decisions, as clearly recognized by young people in the Youth4Climate manifesto. The call for the solution will challenge them to focus on education as a tool to ensure next generation’s awareness of climate change and encourage the adoption of more climate friendly lifestyle.

Challenge 4: Sustainable Recovery

Energy

Most households across Africa continue to face challenges in accessing stable, secure and affordable energy. Commodity price inflation, driven largely by supply shocks arising from the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent policy response, has further destabilized energy access in much of Africa as household budgets are stressed, end-user energy costs rise, and planned infrastructure investments are put on hold to prioritize more urgent needs. To address this and ensure continued support towards the energy transition, this partnership seeks to support and scale-up demand/end-user side energy efficiency to maximize the benefit of household expenditures (in money and time) on electricity, cooking, cooling, and other forms of energy. Specifically, the challenge will seek to support youth-driven innovations to scale up energy conservation and demand-side efficiency services. 

How to Apply

Register on the Youth4Climate Platform and fill in your application online by 31st March 2023, 23:59 Central European Time. [link to register]

Fill in the online application form and submit your proposal by 23:59 on 31st March 2023, CET [Link to the online form].

For more information please check the Link

Tags Environment and Sustainability Innovations and Technology Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Others