LINKING OUR LANDSCAPE’S YOUTH WITH THE INTERNATIONAL ARENA – Vusi Tshabalala

Two years back in 2017, UNESCO launched and hosted its first International MaB Youth forum in Italy, which was attended by 128 young people from 92 countries in Italy Po Delta Biosphere reserve. South Africa managed to send 10 of its young people almost representing all the biospheres we have in our country. The event was so successful that it had to happen again. One of the outcomes of the first summit was a declaration that carried commitments from young people in biospheres to continue playing a role in saving our biodiversity, partnership, exchange knowledge and best practices. One other commitment was that this type of gathering would happen every 2 years, as UNESCO recognizes youth as an equal partner in implementing all the actions and playing their roles in helping their countries achieve their ACHI targets and sustainable goals.

As we move towards the fifteenth Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 15), which will be held in China in 2020. UNESCO and the government of China together with their Changbaishan Biosphere Reserve saw if fit host the 2^nd MaB youth forum which took place on the 15^th – 19^th September 2019. Each country was limited to bring one delegate due to government policies and laws. About 90 international young people from 90 countries with 28 young facilitators and 82 Chinese youth delegates participated with a total 200 young people. 

The 2019 MaB Youth forum was also attended and facilitated by young leaders form the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN), which proved to be the perfect marriage of the two. Its main purpose was to offer young people an opportunity to engage more concretely in the preparation process of CBD CoP 15, elaborate their contribution to the debates and foster their commitment to the realization of the future they want, being actors of change in their territories. The main objective is to elaborate their proposal for actions contributing to the post-2020 Biodiversity framework for action, to address climate change and sustainable development in general.

It is expected to adopt the post-2020 global biodiversity framework – a "New Deal for Nature" for the entire international community. Inscribed in the 2050 Vision “Living in Harmony with Nature”, it will address the challenge of biodiversity and ecosystems loss and to ensure that the solutions and benefits nature provides are integrated in systemic, inclusive, and transformative actions to benefit human well-being, the economy, and the planet. The decisions to be taken on that occasion will be of great relevance to youth, whose future daily lives will be strongly impacted by those desired transformations, but also considering the crucial role they will play in shaping and implementing them.

The young people also got the chance to experience the Changbaishan biosphere by visit the Changbai Mountain with a non-active volcano filled with water making it a spectacular view that separates China and Japan. The youth also had to opportunity to eat Chinese food everyday using chop sticks, engage and socialize with the Chinese community as all the engagements were outdoors in a park overlooking a valley open to the community at large. 

It was truly an experience beyond words. At the closing ceremony a draft declaration was presented which will be followed by an action plan that will be made available once finalized. For more information you can visit:
www.gybn.org and www.unescomabyouth.org