When countries gather in Armenia in October 2026 for the next United Nations Biodiversity Conference COP17, there will be one key question: How far have we come in conserving and restoring biodiversity, using it sustainably and doing all of this as a global community?
We know that youth play an important role in all these efforts, be it by participating in citizen science, doing field research, organizing events to raise awareness, saving small ecosystems, making sure that pollinators can survive in an ever-changing environment, calling on governments to finally take actions, highlighting the links between biodiversity and climate change, and many more diverse and impactful actions.
We want to make sure that when the governments come to Armenia, they will know how we, the youth, are contributing to the goals and targets that - hopefully - will lead us to live in Harmony with Nature by 2050. We want governments to take us seriously - to see us as their partners in protecting biodiversity, as their conscience when not moving quick enough and as the future generation that will need to deal with the consequences of their decisions today.
We, therefore, would love to hear from you: What are you doing for biodiversity? It doesn’t matter how small or big your efforts are, if it is in your school yard, in your town or bigger, if it is in-person or online - we would like to hear from you. We have prepared some questions below - but if you would like to share your story via email or on social media - please don’t hesitate to reach out!
Reach us via gybn.europe@gmail.com.
What do we plan to do with this information?
- Share them publicly in a communication campaign, including social media, website, etc
- Prepare a report to be shared with government, partners and interested audience
- Showcasing examples during the COP (in meetings, at the youth pavilion, …)
Who are we?
The Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN) is an international network of youth organizations and individuals with a common goal: preventing the loss of biodiversity and moving toward a world living in harmony with nature. We are the international coordination platform for youth coordination for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
Until COP17 we plan several activities for and with youth - check out our global website GYBN@COP17. Regional and national chapters are also mobilizing within their regions - see for example the European website here.
We also hope to collect some funding to support youth to attend the COP - please spread the word about our crowdfunding campaign and ask family, friends, colleagues to donate!