Climate change and the ongoing global pandemic are challenging the collective will and capacity of humankind and underscoring the importance of sustainable practices as the only way forward. Sustainable peace, the environment and tourism are closely interrelated areas of importance, especially for a country like Nepal, whose natural beauty and mountainous terrain attracts some 1.2 million (in 2019) tourists every year.
The PET conference was originally scheduled to convene in 2020 but was postponed due to global pandemic, although the youth social enterprise competition track was successfully conducted virtually. The 2021 forum will highlight existing sustainable models implemented by youth and explore new ways of information sharing and business networking that were piloted while the world went into lockdown.
This conference will also build on the Smart and Green City initiative and Youth enterprise model to bring youth, researchers, social enterprise practitioners, policy makers and planners, government and international development agencies, civil society organizations and entrepreneurs together to exchange knowledge and experiences. The forum will enable multi-sector stakeholders to better understand the close interrelationship among the three sectors to find pathways for peace and advance models and best practices across the region with emphasis on youth.
Theme “Building Sustainable Peace through Tourism & Environmental Solutions”