The commitment of the General Secretariat of the Andean Community (SGCAN in Spanish) to the well-being of its 115 million inhabitants is more than just a mission - it's a driving force for positive change. 

Matheus Falasco, aged 25, is the Director of the Youth Action Hub Curitiba, an initiative of UNCTAD, aimed at empowering young people. Since 2019, he has led efforts to advance the 2030 Agenda, focusing on youth engagement.

"Even though we have traffic lights, cameras, signs and enough space for everyone, there is always an element of surprise. We can redesign things to predict those risks, but everything comes back to outreach and education. This course focuses on that."

Fabiola is a resident doctor of neonatology at Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossel (CHPR) in Uruguay but she is originally from Bolivia. During her studies in Uruguay, Fabiola had an experience at the hospital that made her realize the importance of surgical obstetrician processes and the need to foster these processes in her home country.

Nkiru recognized that an important factor that contributed to foster application of knowledge in her organization is the existence of a large network of women with the capabilities to utilize the new knowledge without the need for extra personnel.

"We developed a management model for an entrepreneurship promotion center, which took into account the elements mentioned in the course."

“Health emergencies are included in DRR, and the COVID-19 outbreak definitely falls under the definition of a disaster. The lockdowns to control the spread of the disease, the vaccination programmes – of which the role out primarily depends on the local governments – and the layout of recovery plans are part of the strategies governments have taken to minimize the impact of this health disaster”.

“The workshop made me see the need to diversify as an entrepreneur [...]. I have now decided to spend more time attending to my fish farm since the opportunities for increased livelihood are higher in agribusiness livelihood are higher in agribusiness.”

With the hackathon, Enas became more inspired to continue promoting healthier lifestyles and cities’ renaturalization with her students. She has replicated some of the methodologies from the hackathon in her classes.

We saw a need for a change of attitude so we began to identify local opportunities to strengthen social cohesion and to build capacity in our own communities.