Youth Engagement and Intergenerational Partnership: Toward an IUCN-wide Action Plan

1. Youth Engagement andIntergenerational Partnership:Toward an IUCN-wide Action Plan

2. Workshop Partners • Young Professionals Networks across Commissions • Go4BioDiv (Secretariat and GIZ) • IUCN Regional Office for Mesoamerica and Caribbean • IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation • Special thanks to CatieBurlando, speakers, and co-facilitators

3. Workshop Agenda • Present on achievements and aspirations of youth and intergenerational efforts • Example of IUCN / Member Org collaboration: Go4BioDiv • Voting and Break-out Groups on Union-wide projects • Example of Commission-level work: CEESP • Break-out Groups on Commission-specific projects • Synthesis and Next Steps

4. Commission AchievementsSince Barcelona • Building on Resolution 4.098 on Intergenerational Partnership… • Established active young professionals networks across Commissions • Increased the numbers of young Commission members • Engaged young members in collaborating across generations to support the work of the Commissions

5. Commission Achievements- Policy • CEC, CEESP, and WCPA, appointed young Steering Committee members • successfully lobbied Council to appoint a young Councilor, Grace Mwaura of Kenya • supported the design, dissemination, and selection process for new youth-related award (CEC) and dissemination of existing awards (CEL and WCPA)

6. Commission Achievements- Strategic Events • organized and led on-the-ground capacity building and action-oriented conservation workshops in Nigeria, India, and Estonia • actively contributed to international workshops including WILD9 in Mexico; Convention on Biological Diversity conference in Japan, CEESP’s Sharing Power Conference in New Zealand, the World Scout Jamboree in Sweden • volunteered on the Technical Review Panel and raised funds to bring several young professionals and community leaders to Jeju Congress

7. Commission Achievements- Publications • Intergenerational Partnership for Sustainability, SokaGakkai International Quarterly Magazine (2009) • We’re in This Together: Five reasons why young people are needed to solve the climate crisis, Monday Developments magazine (2011) • Moments that Speak: Stories and Images of Connection, KIT Publishers (2012) • published numerous pieces for Commission blogs and newsletters, in addition to academic journals

8. Commissions Achievements- Social Networking • created open-source Intergenerational Wikispace, with pages dedicated to Commission young professionals networks • created Facebookgroupsfor Commission young professionals networks

9. Task Force Achievements- Policy • Since September 2011… • offered input into IUCN draft Programmebased on 250-person, cross-Commission survey • encouraged young people to run for Council, with Caroline Seagle of North America and the Caribbean securing anomination • co-drafted and co-sponsored Motion 008 on Increasing Youth Engagement and Intergenerational Partnership Across and Through the Union

10. Task Force Achievements- Strategic Events • highlighted Youth and Intergenerational Journey for Congress participants • holding workshop on Tuesday, Sept 11 on further developing an Action Plan for youth engagement and intergenerational partnership (#746)

11. Task Force Achievements- Publications • IUCN draft Programmeinput report • report on survey of all Commission Chairson current and potential youth engagement and intergenerational partnership in their • coordinated a competition for and selected an the IUCN-wide intergenerational logo

12. Aspirations at Jeju and Beyond • Motion 008 gets adopted, the Task Force is formalized, and there is a diversity of generations on this and all future Councils and Commission Steering Committees • Caroline Seaglegets elected to Council • Our workshop (#746) collects and develops innovative project ideas for a youth and intergenerational Action Plan, 2013-2016

13. Vision • Intergenerational exchange, learning, and collaboration are appreciated and integral parts of how the IUCN delivers on its vision of “a just world that values and conserves nature.”

14. Mission • Develop and strengthen intergenerational partnerships between established and emerging sustainability leaders across and through the Union that increase critical thinking, creativity, and strategic action for biodiversity conservation. • As a basis for such action, further develop and support effective communication networks and meaningful engagementwith young professionals, elders, and community and indigenous representatives in decision-making, project development and implementation.

15. Goals • Continue to engage Commissions’ members of all ages in intergenerational projects • Work closely with the Secretariat to engage youth in conservation • Support Member Organizations and States in engaging youth and collaborating across generations for biodiversity outcomes • Mobilize resources and engage in strategic partnerships for youth engagement in and beyond the IUCN

16. General Commission Ideas • Mutual learning / Buddy experiment to engage pairs of senior and younger Commission members (or younger people interested in joining the Commission) in exchange, dialogue and collaboration on projects • Collect youth best practice case studies on youth / intergenerational partnership for further inspiration, sharing across Commissions and generations (including those younger than us for succession planning) • Embed a sustainability ethic across a range of professions in which young people are seeking employment (for example being an ecological economist instead of a conventional economist) • Share indigenous knowledge across generations • Build capacity of newly appointed young people in Commission Steering Committees • Develop networks and pilot conservation/sustainability projects with youth and senior generations at the country and regional levels

17. Next Steps • Invite new people to respective Commissions and Task Force • Form a Core Team on the Task Force for: • compiling a final version of the Action Plan • coordinating action • Project Teams invite more members and collaborate with IUCN and partners to implement projects