Official statement of U-INSPIRE Alliance

We, the members of U-INSPIRE Alliance, a group of Youth and Young Professionals in Science, Engineering, Technology, and Innovation for Disaster and Climate Resilience1, hereby express that:

In light of the current situation:

• Asia and the Pacific are among the most at-risk world regions to the intensifying impacts of multiple-hazards and accelerated exposure with equal paced building of vulnerabilities. Young people are considered one of the most vulnerable groups from these impacts2. In addition, climate change, COVID-19 pandemic, and other compounding and cascading hazard have been posing additional threats and changing the risk scape
• On the other hand, Asia and the Pacific, as dynamic, innovative, and fast-growing world regions, have played an instrumental role in achieving the targets set by2030 Agenda through firm commitments and regional cooperation. Youth and Young Professionals (YYPs) in this region, as early adopters and innovators in digital culture and economy, are contributing to Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) and Resilience through an interplay of entrepreneurship, science, technology, innovation, risk communication, and local level actions leading to science-policy nexus.
• While the YYPs have been contributing toDRR and Climate Action at the local, sub-national, national and regional levels, adequate support and opportunities, are limited . As a resultYYPs are struggling to have access to support their higher education, research, local actions, and building DRR-related social enterprise.

Under the U-INSPIRE Alliance, youth and young professionals in science, engineering, technology, and innovation for disaster and climate resilience are committed to:

• C1: Contribute to the targets set by the Sendai Framework for DRR 2030 by collaborating with various YYPs led organizations to support DRR, CCA, and resilience at regional, national, and local levels byutilizing Science, Engineering, Technology, and Innovation (SETI);
• C2: Explore all possible means to enhance the capacity and leadership of YYPs, including women, marginalized and people in most vulnerable conditions, to be able to take part in solving real-world problems on disaster and climate change related issues, andin becoming a role model to other YYPs across the globe;
• C3: Foster transboundary collaboration among YYPs organizations, working in the field of disaster and climate resilience, for greater visibility and meaningful impacts;
• C4: Enhance the practices of intergenerational, cross-border, interdisciplinary, and trans disciplinary collaborations in the field of disaster and climate resilience;
• C5: Provide support to local and national governments to adapt the science-policy nexus as well as to implement risk-informed decision making and planning, and budgeting in building disaster and climate resilience;
• C6: Disseminate science-based data, information, and good practices to enhance data and evidence driven decision making processes to ensure risk-informed sustainable development;
• C7: Develop knowledge and integrate science with indigenous knowledge, while providing access to various communication platforms on risk information to amplify awareness-raising among communities at all levels, especially those at highest risks;
• C8: Engage local communities, holistically and inclusively, including and ensuring the rights and protection of those at highest risks, through modes and processes which are driven by and for the communities
• C9: Promote children's meaningful participation with the efforts of YYPs, including early career researchers, to better understand the prospect of sustainable development within the concurrent multi-hazard, risks cape and green growth.

Upon implement and expand our commitment of actions above, we recommend policy makers, global conveners, private sectors, research and educational institutions:

• R1: To create greater synergies and collaborations between stakeholders that enable YYPs to participate in and influence development and policy making processes in the field of disaster and climate resilience.
• R2: To increase opportunities and investments on capacity building for YYPs and early-career scientists by extending scholarships, grants, endowments, mobilizations, seed fundings and other forms of investments.
• R3: To advocate the recognition of a formal mechanism for YYPs’ representation and engagement in disaster and climate resilience at local, sub-national and national levels governments’ disaster management agencies, intergovernmental organizations, international organizations and UN agencies.
• R4: To nurture the culture of social entrepreneurship or scipreneurship, led by YYPs, to build resilience at local levels
• R5: To establish programs that enable networking between the YYPs, policy makers, communities, businesses and financial institutions, which in turn create continuity in responding and making science, engineering, and technologies relevant in the market of resilience building.

Through the actions and recommendations outlined above, the U-INSPIRE Alliance and other relevant stakeholders could reaffirm the commitments within:

• UN General Assembly Resolution UN Resolution A/RES/70/1:Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals.
• UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/69/283:Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) 2015-2030.
• UN General Assembly Resolution FCCC/CP/2015/10/Add.1:Paris Agreement 2015-2030.
• The Children and Youth Forum in DRR at the Third United Nations World Conference on DRR in 2015.
• Launch of the Young Scientist Platform on DRR in 2016.
• Co-Chair Summary at GPDRR 2019:“Children, youth, and young professionals are leading the way in disaster risk reduction and climate action beyond 2030, in a realization of the climate hazards that became more severe and catastrophic in impacts. Greater efforts are required to institutionalize their engagement and appropriately draw on their capacities”.
• Declaration of U-INSPIRE Allianceat in the UNESCO Jakarta Office on 20September 2019.
• The recommendation of the youth, young scientists, early career researchers, and young professionals at the “Youth and Young ProfessionalsRoad to GPDRR webinar” held on 10 and 12 March 2022 organized by U-INSPIRE Alliance and UNESCO Regional Science Bureau for Asia and the Pacific in Jakarta,with the support of UNDRR, UNMGCY, UNICEF Malaysia, SEADPRI-Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency(BRIN), and Universiti Teknologi Mara Malaysia.