On May 22, 2026, the launch ceremony of the "2026 Youth Climate Change and Disaster Reduction Innovation Initiative" was successfully held at the International Science and Technology Organizations Headquarters Cluster in Chaoyang District, Beijing. Co-hosted by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) programme, and Tsinghua University among other institutions, the event invited numerous experts, scholars, and youth innovation representatives from UN agencies, international organizations, domestic research institutes, and renowned high schools.
In her opening remarks, Professor Saini Yang, Executive Director of IRDR, emphasized that with the frequent occurrence of extreme weather events, addressing systemic climate and disaster risks requires not only natural sciences and engineering technologies, but also an urgent interdisciplinary integration of humanities and social sciences, grassroots governance, and financial mechanisms. She noted that the official participation of UNDRR this year provides stronger support for the initiative in implementing global disaster risk reduction agendas and connecting with global networks. This year's Initiative will focus on four key areas: artificial intelligence, cultural resilience, community practice, and green finance, aiming to fully inspire global youth's creativity and practical action.
Mr. Marco Toscano-Rivalta, Head of the UNDRR Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, delivered a speech acknowledging the achievements of the Initiative since its inception in 2023. He pointed out that young people are an indispensable core force in advancing the global cause of disaster prevention and mitigation, possessing the unique ability to combine interdisciplinary technologies with practical community actions. The UNDRR Asia-Pacific office will fully support this year's initiative, actively promoting outstanding youth innovation outcomes to the international stage for deep integration with regional and global disaster reduction platforms. Subsequently, Mr. Zhen Sun from Zhishan College at Tsinghua University, Mr. Bihong Fu, Deputy Director of the UNESCO International Centre on Space Technologies for Natural and Cultural Heritage (HIST), Ms. Xinjian Mu, Senior Consultant of UNESCO East Asia Office, as well as representatives from the High School Affiliated to Beijing Normal University No. 2 and Beijing Yuying School, also delivered speeches expressing their support for youth engagement in global ecological action and disaster risk reduction.
During the project introduction session, Mr. Wei Qu, Director of the Global Learning Center at the School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, and founder of the Horizon Global Youth Development Program, provided a comprehensive interpretation of this year's Initiative plan. The initiative is divided into a Junior Group (ages 12-17) and a Youth Group (ages 18-35). It features four core modules: Open Classes, a Creative Video Contest, an Innovation Hackathon, and a Research Camp. Through a project-based learning model, young people are encouraged to go to the frontlines and utilize cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence to solve real-world disaster and climate risks.
In the "Experience Sharing & Inspiration Activation" session, Ms. Xiaoyan Zheng, Project Lead from State Grid Zhejiang Information and Telecommunication Company, shared their project and experience as one of representative winners of previous hackathons. Ms. Fang Lian, IRDR Science Officer, shared her reflections from three years of involvement. As both an instructor and a judge, she reflected on the initiative's three-year evolution from a domestic to a regional platform, noting the exciting leap from localized projects to corporate-level participation, and encouraged participants to develop actionable, compassionate solutions.
Over the next three months, participants of the Youth Climate Action and Disaster Reduction Innovation Initiative will be guided by experts from international organizations, universities, research institutions, and renowned enterprises to systematically study climate change and disaster risk-related knowledge, as well as to review policy frameworks and research status. Building on this foundation, they will focus on key issues, form teams to carry out innovative practices and project development, and integrate business thinking to facilitate project implementation, offering new approaches to addressing critical challenges in global climate change and disaster risk reduction.
