Call for nominations of participants to the IPBES youth workshop (6-9 December 2024)

The Plenary, at its tenth session (IPBES 10), held in Bonn, Germany, from 28 August to 2 September 2023, approved the organization of a youth workshop as part of its work under objective 2 of the IPBES work programme: building capacity.

Governments, relevant institutions and organizations are herewith invited to nominate candidates to participate in the youth workshop to be held in Windhoek, Namibia, from 6 to 9 December 2024.

The IPBES youth workshop 2024 will bring together young and early-career individuals for building capacity in the science-policy interface and supporting strengthened engagement in IPBES. The workshop also aims to support increased understanding and use of approved and ongoing IPBES assessments, as well as to provide an opportunity for young people to explore pathways to desirable nature futures in sea- and landscapes. The participants will also take part in exploring novel and creative ways of communicating the importance of biodiversity and nature's contributions.

The workshop will consist of 25 participants, including five participants from each of the five UN regions (Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Western Europe and others). Support for travel, meals, and accommodation will be provided to all participants by the Governments of Finland, Norway and the UK, as well as by Future Earth.

Governments are invited to nominate candidates representing a youth organization or youth network in their region.

Youth organizations and networks engaged in work on biodiversity and ecosystem services may nominate a member of their organization or network to participate in the workshop. Nominating organizations or institutions are not required to have been admitted to the Plenary of IPBES as an observer. Please help us to disseminate this call for nominations widely.

Nominated candidates should be between 18-30 years of age, member of a youth organization or network, and actively engaged in relevant work on biodiversity and nature's contributions to people.

The application and nomination process:

1. Candidates are invited to complete the application form through the dedicated web portal at https://www.ipbes.net/youth-workshop-2024/application (to access this page you will need to log in with your IPBES website login credentials. Candidates not yet registered on the IPBES website will need to do so at https://ipbes.net/user/register). Please note that the application form is in English only, as the workshop will be held in English;
2. The nominating Government, organization or institution indicated by the candidate will receive an email with a link to the nomination form and will be invited to approve and submit the nomination in the web portal;
3. Nominators and candidates will receive a confirmation via email once the nomination has been duly submitted.

Interested candidates are requested to fill out their application form by 9 September 2024. Nominators are invited to approve the application by 23 September 2024. Early nominations ahead of the deadline are encouraged. Participants will be selected by the management committee of the IPBES task force on capacity-building.

More information on the workshop, application and nomination process, and selection criteria can be found on the IPBES website: https://www.ipbes.net/ipbes-youth-workshop-2024