Press Release

Nepal Youth Summit empowers youth voices, calls for national and global actions on key issues facing young people

13 August 2024

Nepal Youth declaration presented to the Prime Minister, urging inclusion in decision making, skills development and climate action ahead of United Nations 'Summit of the Future'

Three people on chairs and others group of people are posing behind for photo. LED screen in the background displays the workshop's title and relevant graphics. — Caption: From the front left: Honorable Minister Mr. Teju Lal Chaudhari, Ministry of Youth and Sport; Honorable President of Nepal Mr. Ram Chandra Adhikari and UN Resident Coordinator for Nepal Ms. Hanaa Singer-Hamdy addressing the Nepal Youth Summit 2024 in Kathmandu on Monday, 12 August, alongside special senior government officials and heads of UN agencies.

Photo: © UN Nepal

13 August, Kathmandu: The Government of Nepal’s Ministry of Youth and Sports, along with the National Youth Council, in collaboration with the United Nations in Nepal and supported by civil society organizations, hosted the Nepal Youth Summit in celebration of International Youth Day.

A crowded workshop session at the Nepal Youth Summit, featuring a large group of young participants of various backgrounds. Some are listening attentively to a speaker who is partially visible in the front. LED screen in the background displays the workshop's title and relevant graphics. Participants are dressed casually, reflecting the dynamic and interactive nature of the workshop. — Caption: Honorable President of Nepal Mr. Ram Chandra Adhikari with Honorable Minister, Ministry of Youth and Sport Mr. Teju Lal Chaudhari; and UN Resident Coordinator for Nepal Ms. Hanaa Singer-Hamdy addressing the Nepal Youth Summit 2024 in Kathmandu on Monday, 12 August

Photo: © UN Nepal

The summit, inaugurated on 12 August 2024 by the Rt. Honorable President of Nepal, Mr. Ram Chandra Poudel, and Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr. Teju Lal Chaudhary convened over 170 young leaders selected through extensive consultations with youth representatives from Nepal's seven provinces, involving hundreds of youth. The summit focused on six critical themes: Education and Digitization, Health, Migration, Decent Work and Social Protection, Climate Change, and Agri-Food Systems, providing a platform for young voices to address the issues that matter most to them.

Group of people are posing with thump-up in the Nepal Youth Summit 2024 — Caption: Youth posing group photo during the Nepal Youth Summit 2024 in Kathmandu on Tuesday, 13 August

Photo: © UN Nepal

The Nepal Youth Summit was organized in preparation for the upcoming ‘Summit of the Future,’ scheduled to take place in New York on 22-23 September. World leaders, including a high-level delegation from Nepal, will gather at the United Nations to adopt the Pact for the Future, which includes a Declaration on Future Generations advocating for enhanced youth participation at all levels.

In his address, Rt. Honorable President of Nepal, Mr. Ram Chandra Poudel, emphasized the importance of youth involvement in national development, highlighting the need for an environment that allows young people to fully exercise their political, economic, social, and cultural rights and implementing policies that create opportunities for them to contribute significantly to the nation’s development is crucial,”

The two-day Nepal Youth Summit concluded with the presentation of a Youth Declaration to the Rt. Honorable Prime Minister of Nepal, Mr. K P Sharma Oli, during the closing ceremony. This declaration will contribute to the Pact for the Future, outlining actions and commitments from member states to build a more resilient global community for present and future generations.

Caption: Two youth representatives of the Nepal Youth Summit handing over a declaration to Honorable Prime Minister of Nepal Mr. KP Oli with Secretary of Ministry of Youth and Sport, Mr. Suman Raj Aryal; Honorable Minister, Ministry of Youth and Sport, Mr. Teju Lal Chaudhari; and UN Resident Coordinator for Nepal Ms. Hanaa Singer-Hamdy; Vice-Chair, National Youth Council, Mr. Surendra Basnet in Nepal Youth Summit in Kathmandu on Tuesday, 13 August

Photo: © UN Nepal

The declaration also urged leaders to accelerate efforts to ensure access to skills and services that empower young people to reach their full potential; to create social and economic opportunities that drive youth development as Nepal advances toward middle-income status; to remove structural and persistent barriers, including harmful practices affecting women, girls, young people with disabilities, and those at risk of being left behind; and to take effective climate action for a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.

Upon receiving the Youth Declaration, Rt. Honorable Prime Minister of Nepal, Mr. K P Sharma Oli, reaffirmed his commitment to conveying the hopes and aspirations of Nepali youth at the Summit of the Future in September. The PM also stressed on the crucial need to reduce poverty and create job opportunities for youth to meet the SDGs by 2030 and to obtain successful LDC Graduation.

A person with security person behind presents at a podium, while a large screen behind him showcases relevant information for the audience. The other four people are listening. — Caption: Honorable Prime Minister Mr. KP Oli with Secretary of Ministry of Youth and Sport Mr. Suman Raj Aryal; Honorable Minister, Ministry of Youth and Sport Mr. Teju Lal Chaudhari; and UN Resident Coordinator for Nepal Ms. Hanaa Singer-Hamdy; Vice-Chair, National Youth Council Mr. Surendra Basnet addressing the Nepal Youth Summit 2024 in Kathmandu on Tuesday, 13 August

Photo: © UN Nepal

The UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal, Madam Hanaa Singer Hamdy emphasized meaningful participation of youth in decision-making, access to essential resources, and investment in skills and innovation for young people to have the power to drive economic growth, advance gender equality, combat climate change, and build a prosperous, sustainable future for all.

The Nepal Youth Summit was preceded by youth consultations across all seven provinces, aimed at strengthening the knowledge, skills, and capacities of youth participants in areas such as education, health, migration, social protection, gender equality, climate change, and more.

Youth delegates sitting on leader, actively posing for photo during the Nepal Youth Declaration, some of clicking selfie and holding books and a picture at the center. The leader has two ways to go upstairs. Two sofas at ground level. — Caption: Youth posing group photo during the Nepal Youth Summit 2024 in Kathmandu on Tuesday, 13 August

Photo: © UN Nepal

English

Nepali

Hanaa Singer-Hamdy

RCO

United Nations Resident Coordinator

Ms. Singer-Hamdy has worked for close to 30 years across development and humanitarian contexts at various senior management and strategic leadership roles. She served as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka from 2018 to 2022. Under her leadership, the UN in Sri Lanka continued its partnership with the Government in responding to complex economic and political challenges including the 2019 Easter Bombings, COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent deterioration in macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability. When Sri Lanka faced a significant rise in food insecurity and other humanitarian concerns, she led a response targeting 3.4 million people in need that raised over $100 million for vital aid. To advance inclusive and rights-based development, she led the design of the United Nations Strategic Development Cooperation Framework 2023-2027 in consultation with Government and other stakeholders. Since 2019, she also mobilized over $36 million for peacebuilding and resilience programming through the UN Sri Lanka SDG Multi-Partner Trust Fund.

Prior to this, she held several senior management positions in UNICEF offices across the world, including as the Associate Regional Director in Geneva and as Country Representative for Syria, Nepal, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.

In Syria, she provided strategic leadership to one of the largest protection crises on the global stage – successfully scaling up programmes through an integrated package of high impact interventions in health, nutrition, water and sanitation, education and child protection - increasing the reach of UNICEF’s work to the most vulnerable children including in besieged and hard-to-reach areas.

As UNICEF Chief in Nepal, she pioneered strategic programmes for scaling up sanitation, adolescents and multisectoral nutrition programmes, establishing strategic new alliances resulting in the government adopting national action plans. She has also led humanitarian programmes in Burundi and Haiti, and as a regional emergency advisor for CEE/CIS countries coordinated setting up cross border humanitarian operations to Afghanistan ,from central Asia, and Iraq,from south Turkey. She also provided technical support to emergency preparedness programmes in the North Caucasus, CEE/CIS countries .

Ms. Singer-Hamdy holds a Master's degree in Political Sociology and a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from the American University in Cairo, Egypt. She obtained a diploma in “Planning and Management of Decentralized Development Projects” from Bradford University in the United Kingdom. Ms. Singer-Hamdy has engaged in academia and research in political sociology and international relations at the American University of Cairo and at the Sadat’s Academy for Management Sciences, Faculty of Political Science of Cairo University.