KATHMANDU, 22 August 2025

The Kathmandu Valley Development Authority (KVDA), with technical support from UN-Habitat Nepal under the Urban Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) Project, organized a Child Art Competition themed My "Home" and My "City". The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in collaboration with the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority (KVDA) and UN-Habitat Nepal as the technical partner.

The competition aimed to inspire children to express their creativity by illustrating their vision of an ideal home and city through art. Twenty-six students from grades 4 to 6, representing nine community schools across five project municipalities in the Kathmandu Valley, came together to imagine cleaner, greener, and more inclusive future homes and cities.

Mr. Lila Khatiwada, Deputy Development Commissioner at KVDA and National Project Director, welcomed the participants and highlighted the vital importance of green spaces in urban settings. He encouraged the young artists to envision a more resilient future through their creative expressions.

Ms. Januka Dhakal, Development Commissioner at KVDA, expressed her appreciation to the participants for their enthusiastic involvement and for thoughtfully reflecting, through their artwork, on the connection between their personal spaces and the shared urban environment.

Following a brief orientation on climate change and urban Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA), the young participants channeled their creativity into artworks that embodied themes of hope, resilience, and sustainability. Using various mediums, including sign pens, watercolors, poster paints, and colored pencils, they brought their visions to life.

A panel of jurors evaluated the submissions and selected the top five entries, with prizes awarded to the winning students. The selected artworks will be exhibited during Nepal's observance of the 24th World Habitat Day and included in forthcoming official publications. The winning pieces have also been submitted to the UN-Habitat Regional Office for Asia and Pacific Fukuoka (ROAP) Children's Drawing Contest, representing Nepal.