Young people are the future – and have already begun taking on the responsibility of ensuring the future of the planet is sustainable. While recognition of their key roles and contributions to global environment and sustainable development agendas is growing, their integration into decision-making processes remains critical for ensuring meaningful action.

Convening a day ahead of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress, the 2025 Global Youth Summit helped set the scene for the Congress.

Under the theme of “Youth powering transformative conservation,” the 2025 Summit aimed to elevate the voices of young people aged 18-35 who are engaged in conservation action worldwide to shape youth-led priorities and solutions. In addition to spotlighting youth leaders, the Summit featured a series of thematic sessions and dialogues engaging voices across generations and regions. It furthermore served as a platform to initiate critical discussions on how to shape youth-centered outcomes for conserving nature.

The 2025 Summit built upon the outcomes from the 2021 Global Youth Summit held in Marseille, France, which led to the development and implementation of the IUCN Youth Strategy 2022-2030, and the establishment of the Youth Advisory Committee to support the Strategy’s implementation. The Strategy provides a roadmap for engaging youth and embedding their perspectives and inclusion across IUCN, to ultimately contribute to the goal of reversing biodiversity loss, conserving nature, and sustainably managing natural resources.

Following the end of the one-day Summit, the IUCN World Conservation Congress continued addressing ways to further engage youth, including through two motions, on: organizing a Global Youth Summit prior to each Congress; and accelerating equitable youth empowerment and engagement across IUCN.

The Global Youth Summit met on 8 October in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) writers for this meeting were Emma Vovk and Olivia Pasini. The Digital Editor was Danny Skilton. The Editor was Leila Mead.

Funding for ENB coverage of the Global Youth Summit was provided by IUCN.