Asian Pacific Youth Forum 2013 (APYF 2013) about Mountainous issues and Post-2015 Agenda in Nepal has given 3 precious lessons for me about the essential thinking of a young environmental activist. This forum was organized by The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) from 30 September to 5 October 2013 in Kathmandu, Nepal, with the participation of 40 young people from 15 countries in Asian Pacific Region.

Lesson 1: The connection

On the first day of the program, we had the presentation from expert. With the same topic, we would listen to many different point of view: government, business and civil society, from different aspects: culture, social, politics and sciences.

I highly appreciated one point in the presentation about resources, energy, urbanization and climate change by Dr. Shobhakar Dhakal from Asian Technology Center that the water resource from Himalaya mountain area is not only for this area but also supplies for down-stream area, similar to other natural resource. Therefore, it is essential to raise the awareness about the relationship between up-stream and down-stream then share the responsibilities of protection and development between up-stream and down-stream.

I believe that in today world, there are many relationships like that. However, not many people realize that fact. And, for sustainable development, it is important that everybody is aware of the connections among things in world.

When having the honor to become the representative for participants from outside of Hindu Kush-Himalaya (HKH) to have the closing sharing, I highlighted this point again:

"I hope to bring the message about the connection back to my home country. In the globalization, the youth should pay attention to more issues not limited to the around problems that have the direct impacts on them. The issues of HKH is not only the matters of the youth from HKH, but also the matters for us from outside of HKH"

Lesson 2: Localize more than modernize

The next two days, we visited Godavari knowledge park of ICIMOD. Many new technologies and innovative model for the mountainous area are tested and exhibited in this knowledge park.

Before coming, I imagined that one knowledge park must be very modern and fancy with the most advanced technologies. Then, I was totally surprised when I stepped to the park. Very local, very natural. There were still many technologies there but not advanced technologies but the kind of technologies which are very practical and close to the daily life of local people, such as: the screw model of briquette press that produces the block of flammable matters matching with the local stove, or the manual water pumping system? All of creative technologies are very simple, and easy to imagine that how it will work in real life and bring the benefits for local people.

Suddenly, I understood that: the most effective technology is not the most advanced but the most suitable one. In this case, it is the technology that is localized and match with the local natural conditions, local living standards and level of development. Technology development is not the story about blindly racing after modernization but about focusing on develop technology to adapt with the distinguish situation of each nation.  

Lesson 3: Don?t introduce yourself as a future leader

On the last day of the forum, we sat down together and discussed to build up the declaration about Post-2015 development focusing on mountainous area. Our declaration consisted of the following themes: environment, social issues, governance and mountain economic development.

After listening to our declaration in the closing ceremony, Dr. David Molden, general director of ICIMOD said: "Many people named the youth as the future leaders. But why the future? No, you are not the future leaders. Tomorrow never comes. You are today leaders. And, we would like to treat you as today leaders".

What he said inspired me a lot. I believe that all of our opinions in the declaration were listened. However, I hope that all young people will always remember that our obligation is not only raising voice, waiting for someone listening to us and applying our ideas in real life. We will not wait! Implementing our ideas is also our obligation.

The mission of young participants in APYF 2013 did not end with the finish of the declaration. Our mission just began when the forum closed. Our mission is spreading the messages and step by step doing what we said.