In a world facing accelerating environmental challenges, young people are at the forefront of global efforts to address biodiversity loss, climate change, and sustainable development. For UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme, youth engagement is a strategic priority, recognising young people not only as beneficiaries, but as leaders, innovators, and decision-makers of sustainable development.
The 3rd Global MAB Youth Forum marks a new milestone in strengthening youth participation across Biosphere Reserves worldwide. Conceived as a youth-driven laboratory of ideas, the Forum provided a platform for dialogue, collaboration, and innovation, fostering a shared vision that transcended borders, disciplines, and cultures.
Building on the success of its previous editions held in Italy (2017) and China (2019), the third edition of the Forum was held in the Po Delta and Colli Euganei Biosphere Reserves in Italy from 18 to 22 May 2026, bringing together 181 young people from 61 Biosphere Reserves across 88 countries. Participants included MAB Youth representatives, National MAB Youth Focal Points, experts, Biosphere Reserve managers, and institutional partners committed to advancing youth-led action for sustainable development.
Young people are not merely the custodians of tomorrow; they are already redefining it, through innovation, creativity, scientific curiosity, digital expertise, and the courage to challenge established paradigms.
Magdalena Landry, Director, UNESCO Venice
Following the adoption of the Hangzhou Strategic Action Plan (2026-2035), the 2026 Forum represented a pivotal moment, empowering youth to contribute directly to the implementation of MAB priorities, particularly the development of the MAB Youth Network. It also marked the first global gathering of the newly designated National MAB Youth Focal Points, officially designated by their respective Member States as the MAB Programme’s youth representatives for their countries. Discussions and activities focused on translating the findings of the MAB Youth World Mapping Survey 2025 into strengthened youth leadership, coordination, and initiatives related to biodiversity conservation, sustainable livelihoods, and community well-being.
Over 5 days, the programme combined plenary sessions, working groups, field visits, cultural activities, and peer-learning opportunities designed to encourage exchanges and collaboration. The Forum culminated in the development of the MAB Youth Declaration, which articulates youth priorities and recommendations for the future of the MAB Programme, and the MAB Youth Roadmap (2026-2035), a strategic framework that will guide youth engagement and concrete action across the World Network of Biosphere Reserves over the next decade.
Beyond the meetings and discussions, this Forum is about something larger. It is about belonging. Belonging to communities. Belonging to territories. Belonging to a global movement working towards a more just and sustainable world.
Antonio De Sousa Abreu, Director of Division & Secretary of MAB Programme, UNESCO
The 2026 MAB Youth Declaration was presented by the UNESCO MAB Secretariat and the National MAB Youth Focal Point for Paraguay, Walter Ernesto Groehn Vergara at the 38th session of the MAB International Coordinating Council in Itaipu Biosphere Reserve, Paraguay, from 3 to 6 June. The Declaration conveys a clear message: “We are young people bound by a shared conviction that Biosphere Reserves are among humanity’s most powerful tools for building a future where people and nature thrive together.”
The 3rd MAB Youth Forum was made possible with the kind support of the Po Delta Biosphere Reserve, Colli Euganei Biosphere Reserve, the Veneto Region, the Emilia-Romagna Region, the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo, the Italian National Commission for UNESCO, UNESCO MAB Secretariat, and the UNESCO Office in Venice.
READ MORE: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/youth-lead-way-towards-sustainable-future?hub=701
