The 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) articulate the United Nations’ universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. Important development trends like climate change, unsustainable production and consumption, and rising inequalities pose significant challenges on our path to achieve the SDGs. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) embraces the complexity of development and commits the organization to helping countries find faster, more durable solutions to achieve the 2030 Agenda. As part of this commitment, the UNDP Accelerator Labs Network is established to build the fastest and largest learning network to accelerate learning on sustainable development. Together with our multisectoral partners, the Labs strive to unleash the power of local innovations and collective intelligence to address today’s complex development challenges.
While the COVID-19 pandemic is undoubtedly posing significant challenges in the most immediate sense, issues such as air pollution remain critical and entails multifaceted implications- from health to climate change, and economic development. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, air pollution was threatening the human health and well-being as no one is unaffected by dirty air. In many countries, particularly in Southeast Asia, air pollution (outdoor and indoor) is the greatest cause of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), responsible for more than 2 million premature deaths (UNEP, 2019). Both outdoor air pollution and low physical activity-lifestyle are important environmental risk factors of the NCDs including cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, and diabetes. In the Asia Pacific Region, NCDs are now the most significant cause of death and disease and as a result impose substantial social burden and economic costs (Low et al, 2015).
The Government of Thailand determined key contributors to poor air quality to include agricultural burning and forest fires in rural areas, vehicular emissions and constructions in the cities, and industrial discharges in concentrated industrial zones (Pollution Control Department, 2019). However, air pollution is not only a national issue but a transboundary one which must be addressed by regional cooperation. Provinces in the northern Thailand have suffered from pollutants caused by local contributors as well as transboundary flow of haze from Lao PDR and Myanmar.
To tackle this issue, the UNDP Accelerator Lab Thailand is applying ethnographic research, sensemaking, and systems thinking approaches to develop a ‘System Map’ of key dynamics of the air pollution problem as well as an integrated simulation tool that can be used to guide policy analysis to address air pollution challenges. In addition, the Lab realizes the crucial role of local innovations and youth engagement in developing new generation of solutions. A youth social innovation challenge in Chaing Rai province will be launched to create engagement of local youth along with multisectoral stakeholders to identify local innovations and empower youth to develop and test their solutions. The youth social innovation challenge will utilize a wide range of innovative methodologies from UNDP Accelerator Lab and Youth Co:Lab such as sensemaking, grassroot innovations mapping, system thinking, co-creation, experimentation, among others to gain insights on air pollution issue and potential solutions. The Challenge will consist of training workshops for local youth, mentorship, a local pitching, experimentation period, sharing forum, and a final presentation session. Stakeholders including local government authorities, private sector, academia and experts, as well as local communities will be involved to foster a sense of ownership and localization process. The results and lessons from the Challenge will be a steppingstone for UNDP Accelerator Lab Thailand in advancing innovative approach to air pollution issue at the national level.
UNDP is seeking for a consultant to support the organization of the youth social innovation challenge to tackle air pollution issue in Chiang Rai province.