Youth discussed response to COVID-19 at regional level

15 May 2020

On 15 April 2020, UNESCO Regional Bureau for Sciences for Asia-Pacific region, based in Jakarta, in collaboration with U-Inspire Alliance, organized an online webinar on “Youth and Young Professionals in Asia and the Pacific Engagement to Covid-19”.

U-Inspire Alliance is the union of youth and young professionals networks on science, engineering, technology and innovation for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). U-inspire sub-networks actively function in 16 Asian countries, including DACRYN Disaster and Climate Resilience Youth Network in Central Asia (DACRYN), which was established with the support of UNESCO Cluster Office in Almaty in March 2019 uniting under its umbrella about 25 youth from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

The webinar gathered more than 150 participants - young professionals from research institutes, employees from DRR related agencies, students, representatives of international organizations. The opening remarks were given by the by Assistant Director General of UNESCO on Natural Science Ms Shamila Nair-Bedouelle, Director of UNESCO Jakarta Office Mr Shahbaz Khan, Deputy Head of UNDRR Office for Asia and Pacific Mr Animesh Kumar and Professor Rajib Shaw from Keio University (Japan).

ssistant Director General of UNESCO on Natural Science Ms Shamila Nair-Bedouelle

The meeting aimed to empower youth and facilitate the international collaboration by the exchange of experience and work which youth is doing in their respective countries combating COVID-19 pandemic through science, engineering, technology and innovation. During this meeting, DACRYN shared the experience from the "COVID-19 Myth busters! Campaign" which aims at tackling false information about COVID-19, by providing reliable and science-based information. The activity focuses in particular on communities living in remote areas, to help them bridge the language gaps and ensure access to information. The DACRYN members prepared the information sheets about top-10 myths and facts about COVID-19, based on reports of the World Health Organization (WHO) and translated in 5 languages: Russian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik and Uzbek. This information is being disseminated through social networks and community radios in order reach remote communities and leave no one behind.

Permanent link: http://en.unesco.kz/youth-discussed-response-to-covid-19-at-regional-level