Strengthening its commitment to meaningful youth engagement, UNESCO is calling on young people to take an active role in sustainable development, biodiversity conservation, and local decision-making.

The 3rd Global MAB Youth Forum marked a significant milestone in advancing their participation within UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme. Its key outcomes, including the MAB Youth Declaration and the MAB Youth Roadmap, provide a framework for empowering young people and supporting their leadership across the World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

Against this backdrop, young MAB representatives from Europe and North America met for an online information session on 8 September 2026 to discuss how these global commitments can be translated into concrete actions at local and national levels. Magdalena Landry, Director of UNESCO Office in Venice, opened the event by highlighting the essential role young people play in shaping a sustainable future.

“We must move beyond awareness and commit to action. This is an opportunity for young people to build partnerships, share experiences, and help shape a more inclusive and future-oriented MAB governance system”, says Magdalena Landry, the Director from UNESCO Venice.

Collaborating towards youth engagement

This call to action set the stage for the discussions that followed. Participants heard directly from the National MAB Youth Focal Points for Canada, Greece, Italy, and Slovenia, who shared their experiences and reflections from their respective countries.

Despite the different national contexts, their interventions pointed to a common theme: young people need established mechanisms through which they can participate in decision-making, connect with one another and take action- not only contribute to individual projects. National MAB Youth Focal Points, local youth councils, and youth networks can provide these mechanisms and help embed youth participation more systematically within the MAB Programme.

This vision was echoed by David Béland, National MAB Youth Focal Point for Canada and rapporteur during the 3rd Global MAB Youth Forum. Reflecting on the MAB Youth Roadmap, he stressed that the document is not intended to create new structures, but rather to strengthen and activate pre-existing mechanisms within the MAB Programme.

“Developed through an extensive consultation process involving young people from more than 100 countries, the Roadmap seeks to balance global ambitions with local realities and provide a flexible framework that can be adapted to different national and local contexts”, says David Béland, National MAB Youth Focal Point for Canada.

Translating principles into action 

The discussion then turned to what this could mean in practice. Establishing local youth governance structures and strengthening links with schools and universities emerged as key priorities. Participants also highlighted the potential of projects grounded in local knowledge and community needs, citizen science initiatives, and innovative approaches to raising awareness of Biosphere Reserves among communities.

Taking place a few days before EuroMAB 2026, the session also demonstrated the growing cooperation among young people involved in the MAB Programme across the region. Beyond exchanging experiences, participants reaffirmed their willingness to collaborate across borders.

The discussion therefore marked an important step from a global youth commitment towards its implementation on the ground. The MAB Youth Roadmap now provides a shared framework; the task ahead is to use existing structures, partnerships, and local initiatives to turn that framework into meaningful opportunities for young people to participate, lead, and shape the future of Biosphere Reserves.