Young people are not only interested in the global biodiversity summit underway in Cali, Colombia – they are taking center stage there, as active agents of change for the environment.
Involving young voices and perspectives in decision-making about environmental funding is a core value of the Global Environment Facility and its new Global Biodiversity Framework Fund. This is why the GEF is partnering with organizations such as the Global Youth Biodiversity Network in their efforts to raise awareness about the importance of ramping up investment in nature, and doing so in an inclusive, consultative way.
Here are some of the young leaders participating in the Convention on Biological Diversity’s sixteenth Conference of the Parties (COP16) in Cali, Colombia:
Xiomara Acevedo - Colombia | COP16 Youth Coordination Team of GYBN and Executive Director of the Barranquilla+20 Foundation
In this historic moment, where youth are the majority on the planet, our role is decisive in safeguarding humanity's biocultural heritage, and this COP16 of the CBD is crucial to achieving it. Without our participation and the guarantee of our rights, a pluri-ethnic and biodiverse future cannot be ensured.
We are the youth who, with our hands and hearts, are harvesting life and hope to ensure that the global biodiversity conservation goals are implemented. From the diversity of our territories, we are sowing the seeds of a world where nature, people, and cultures thrive together.
This year, we have three Rio Conventions, starting in Colombia, for the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework. We are going to Baku with the goal of securing significant climate financing. This is also a relevant topic for the biodiversity COP and the desertification COP.
Therefore, we believe it is very relevant to explore more synergies, that financing can serve one struggle as well as others, and that in general, it can be maximized and reach directly those who are on the front lines of defending ecosystems, traditional knowledge, climate justice, and the fight for better soils.
Alioune Badara Gueye – Senegal | Founder and Coordinator of the GYBN Senegal Chapter
My name is Alioune Badara Gueye, a Ph.D. student at the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, and the Founder and Coordinator of the GYBN Senegal Chapter. For me and our chapter, participating in COP16 in Cali, Colombia, represents the culmination of two years of continuous groundwork - engaging Senegalese youth, advocating for their voices, and building bridges with state authorities and leading NGOs to ensure youth are not left out of crucial biodiversity conversations.
COP16 is a pivotal moment where the dedication of Senegalese youth will be amplified on the global stage. I am filled with enthusiasm as we prepare to host our side event on Environmental Education and Reforestation at the Youth Pavilion on Oct. 30. This event will bring together key stakeholders - from youth conservation (IUCN-Papaco); the Senegalese National Parks Directorate; the National Biodiversity Authority; ENDA Lead Afrique Francophone; and Ousseynou Kassé, President of the African Group of Negotiators, to showcase how Senegalese students and youth can become catalysts for biodiversity conservation through education and action. This moment is also made possible by the support of the GEF and all the organizers who have facilitated our participation in COP16.
Famora Embaló – Guinea Bissau | Executive Secretary of the GYBN Guinea-Bissau Chapter
The significance of COP16 cannot be overstated. This summit will be crucial in defining the strategic guidelines needed to enhance the policies related to the 23 Sustainable Development Goal axes. It will also allow us to make necessary corrections in areas where we have fallen short. Through COP16, we aim to redefine and strengthen our commitment to global biodiversity conservation and protection.
Here in Guinea-Bissau, the work of the GYBN chapter is dedicated to bringing together all the key players involved in biodiversity conservation. Our efforts are focused on ensuring that youth voices are central in shaping these policies. Recently, we received a modest fund of $1,200 from our partners, which enabled us to organize a leadership conference on Oct. 12 to commemorate the International Day for Climate Adaptation. This event brought together participants from all regions of the country and we saw an incredible level of engagement from the attendees.
However, this is just the beginning. The next phase of our project involves rolling out training sessions across various regions—Gabu, Bafata, and Cantanhez—aimed at empowering local communities to take ownership of biodiversity conservation efforts. The interest shown at the October conference, with many eager to join our cause, underscores the urgency and importance of this work. Our first training session is scheduled for Nov. 19, and we are committed to continuing our efforts. The youth of Guinea-Bissau are ready to lead the charge in addressing this global challenge, and we hope to inspire others to join us in protecting our planet's biodiversity.
Alejandro Luque - Ecuador | Regional Co-Facilitator for Civil Society for Latin America and the Caribbean before UNEP and Environmental Consultant
To describe the role of youth for this biodiversity COP16, and in common for the rest of the environmental negotiations of the three key global environmental conventions, it is to define young people as "everything-ologists."
In order to participate and be able to share the acquired knowledge with other young people, youth leaders must take on the roles of event planners, communicators, designers, funding seekers, logistical coordinators, diplomats, and the vast majority do so voluntarily and even invest their own resources to demonstrate that our generations are present and ready.
We all need to understand one thing today; that we are playing a very dangerous game by not preparing children and young people for what is coming. And as youth we need understand that today, it is more imperative than ever that to demand our inclusion and support in these critical discussions and actions.
You can find these inspiring youth delegates in Cali participating in many events, including (in Colombia Time, GMT-5):
- Mujeres por la Justicia Climática y la Biodiversidad: In the Blue Zone on Oct. 22, at 3:45 pm.
- Tejiendo un Movimiento Intergeneracional e Interseccional por la Biodiversidad y la Acción Climática: In the Green Zone, Oct. 22 at 6:30 pm at Casa Humboldt, Cali.
- Juventudes Defensoras de la Biodiversidad y el Territorio: In the Green Zone of COP16 on Oct. 23 at Universidad ECCI – Salon Multiproposito, Piso 4, at 10:15 am.
- Financing for Biodiversity on the Road to COP16: Gaps and Financing Needs: In the Blue Zone, Oct. 22 at 4:30 pm.
- Funding Youth into Action - Towards Equitable Implementation of the Biodiversity Plan: In the GEF Partnership Pavilion, Oct. 30 at 9:00 am.
- Environmental Education and Reforestation: In the Youth Pavilion on Oct. 30 at 12:00 pm.
- Juventudes Construyendo Futuros Biodiversos y Pluriétnicos: In the Colombia Pavilion on Oct. 31 at 1:30 pm.
- Youth Pavilion: Open through Oct. 30.