FAO Director-General QU Dongyu met with 15 members of the youth and young professional delegation attending the XV World Forestry Congress (WFC) in Seoul to share his support for their action in the forestry sector (CREDIT: FAO flickr)

FAO Director-General QU Dongyu met with 15 members of the youth and young professional delegation attending the XV World Forestry Congress (WFC) in Seoul to share his support for their action in the forestry sector (CREDIT: FAO flickr)

Young people should bring their ideas to governance forums and policy discussions. 

QU Dongyu, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), reiterated as he highlighted the role youth can play in agrifood systems transformation at the XV World Forestry Congress in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

At the event, which featured participants from over 160 countries, IFSA representatives Erica Di Gilorami and Amos Amanubo were privileged to launch the Youth Call for Action. The Youth Call for Action is a Youth Declaration that developed recommendations for decision-makers and high-level practitioners on avenues to enhance enabling conditions for youth engagement in the forest sector. 

Through the mandate of the United Nations Forum on Forests Major Group for Children and Youth (UNFF MGCY), regional consultations were held during which youths from over fifty countries shared their unique challenges and opportunities for participation in political processes in the forest sector. Furthermore, the team conducted expert group meetings featuring co-moderators to identify synergies with forest professionals and avenues for youth engagement. 

The outcomes of this rigorous and inclusive process revolved around two overarching themes: political representation and youth social participation. The YCA envisions a future in which youth occupy spaces where power and influence are most concentrated to operationalize their views and needs within and beyond the forest sector. 

To achieve this vision, the Youth Call for Action urges stakeholders to support youth by embracing concerted efforts along the following trajectories: 

  • Promoting inclusive and equitable access to high-quality forest education; 
  • Providing decent work and career development opportunities; 
  • Working to achieve gender equality; 
  • Ensuring political participation and representation of youths in the forest sector. 

These actions will contribute to attaining Sustainable Development Goals 1, 4, 5, 8, 10, 13, 15, and 17 and the Global Forest Goals. In addition, the Youth Call for Action will shape the strategic plan of UNFF MGCY for 2022 to 2026.

Following the launch in May 2022, Erica and Amos have diligently promoted the policy proposals to stakeholders at high-level events like the FOREST EUROPE High-Level Talks and the 26th Session of the FAO Committee on Forestry (COFO26). While there, they re-echoed the need to work together with youth and young professionals towards a more inclusive and enabling forestry sector.

Current efforts have played a role in empowering, mentoring, and offering platforms through which youth showcase their contributions. These can be coupled with the collaborative nature of the recommendations in the Youth Call for Action to create an enabling environment through which youth can fully unlock their potential in the forestry sector. Governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, the scientific community, and the academic and private sectors are therefore urged to adopt the policy proposals to ensure meaningful youth inclusion and champion their causes.

Read more about the Youth Call for Action here.

Author : Amaitum Joshua Elukut