02/10/2024
Day Three of the Afghanistan Local Conference of Youth (ALCOY) 2024 was a great success, leaving everyone feeling proud and inspired. The day started with encouraging words from Ms. Farida Razaqi.
Dr. Abas Basir, former Minister of Higher Education and former Director General of the South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP), delivered a keynote speech on "The Role of Education in Strengthening Flash Flood Resilience," highlighting the crucial connection between education and disaster preparedness.
Following this, Dr. Tahir Shaaran, a scholar at the University of Toronto and former Director General of Atomic Energy in Afghanistan, delivered his keynote speech on "Energy and Flood Resilience in Afghanistan." He discussed how energy solutions can play a vital role in making communities more resilient to natural disasters, particularly floods.
Our participants then joined a networking session to connect with each other and share ideas before joining the final breakout room discussions. During the breakout discussions, participants worked on their policy recommendations and project proposals, which were then presented to a panel of judges.
Ms. Kelly Thompson, Youth Community Mobilisation Specialist at UNFPA Afghanistan, joined the event, speaking about the significance of youth engagement in climate resilience and importance of the LCOY conference in Afghanistan.
The day ended with an awards ceremony to celebrate the creativity and hard work of all the participants. In the children’s competition, the Best Story and Essay Awards were given to Sara Ibrahimi, Kawsar Jahfari, and Sajida Ahadi. In the youth storytelling category, Yalda Faizi, Ayub Ayubi, and Fatima Safdari secured the Best Story Award. Mohammad Imam Mohammadi received the Best Artwork Award. In the youth essay writing contest, Abdul Tawab Khpalwak and Mir Hussain Saifi were awarded the Best Essay Award.
Additionally, the panel of judges, which included Dr. Tahir Shaaran, Ms. Beheshta Taib, Youth and GBViE Program Officer at UNFPA, and Mr. Hamidullah Nadeen, Senior Communication and Marketing Coordinator at Monash University, presented the Best Breakout Room Award to the members of Room 3, which focused on "Post-Disaster Recovery," and Room 4, which focused on "Climate Finance and Community-Led Projects," for their exceptional presentations and ideas.
As ALCOY 2024 comes to a close, we extend our heartfelt thanks to organizers, participants, and speakers.
Let’s continue working towards a sustainable future!
