Use youth in entrepreneurship: Minister KC

Kathmandu, Nov. 2: Minister for Youth and Sports Rajendra Kumar KC Thursday said that there was a need to engage youths in entrepreneurship for generating employment and good incomes, and to widely use the natural resources to promote environmental conservation and protection of natural resources.

Addressing the South Asia Youth Summit on Climate Change here he said, “We should emphasise on skill development, entrepreneurial leadership, youth volunteerism for environment protection and youth-friendly access to financial resources to create sustainable employment opportunities.”

According to him, those five pillars have been linked with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and engagement of youths in realising the targets of SDGs is vital and prominent.

He also said that the concept of ‘Green Economy and Blue Economy’ would be instrumental in preserving the environment and achieving youth entrepreneurship and employment through job creation in the SAARC region.

“Climate change has been one of the major problems to this planet. It appears to affect the poor people the most, placing our nations and common people at high risk. The negative impact of climate change and environmental degradation on our economy as well as our infrastructure is clearly visible,” he remarked.

President of the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SAARC CCI) Suraj Vaidya said that the South Asian region would lose billions of dollars in the near future due to the climate change.

“Climate does not have borders. The glaciers melting in Nepal will have severe consequences in India and Bangladesh. Therefore, a regional collaboration is needed to combat the climate change,” he said.

He urged the young entrepreneurs to take the leadership, not to sit at the fence and stare at the problems.

President of the Federation of Nepali Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Bhawani Rana stated that the climate change was no longer a distant phenomenon and was there at the people's doorstep.

According to her, climate change has emerged as one of the major problems of present generation and South Asia, and calls for collective efforts to fight with it.

She expressed belief that the young people possessed the power to change with their comparative advantage to adapt and act as agents of change.

“As being an entrepreneur myself, I firmly believe that in every challenge, there is an opportunity. Its same with the challenges created by climate change,” she said.