REFLECTIONS FROM THE IUCN GLOBAL YOUTH SUMMIT:
NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR PEOPLE, FOR JUSTICE AND FOR NATURE
People are part of the nature and unlike some narratives about the climate and biodiversity crises, not all people are responsible for the current state of the world. There are people and communities - often Indigenous, local, Quilombola communities and other groups - who live in harmony with, understand the importance of, and protect nature, and who have done so for centuries.
This event focused exactly on these people, on the rights they have and their essential role in the protection of nature, and how they are addressing climate change. To introduce this topic, Y4N Regional Director for North America, Sarah Hanson, shared about Indigenous communities and highlighting land defenders who are working for climate justice in the region. After, Gaby Baesse, Y4N Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, gave an overview about the necessity of an intersectional approach when addressing nature ae well as the threats lived by environmental and land defenders in their region.
With the intention to hold space for sharing and listening, we decided to use our session as a Sharing Circle. In the Sharing Circle, we invited (self identified) Indigenous, marginalised and frontline community members to speak and share about their lived experiences and their understanding of Nature-based Solutions, as well as about how NbS are connected to local communities and what NbS can learn from community engagement.
The highlight of our session was being able to share space from youth from all over the world, thus having the opportunity to hear different perspectives and experiences. Those who shared their views and contributed to the Sharing Circle were from Uganda, Bangladesh, Bolivia, the United States of America, Kenya, India and beyond! Using this session format, and with the enthusiasm from our audience, we were able to highlight the importance of Indigenous and local communities in the protection of nature and in sharing knowledges about NbS.
Already beyond this session at the IUCN Global Youth Summit, we have been able to connect and further highlight the work of one of the youth that spoke in the Sharing Circle. Michelle and her brother Jeremy from Kenya participated in the April edition of the Y4N Youth Spotlight Series, in a live interview with our Regional Director for Africa. Learn more about their work with Bring Back Lake Victoria here!
More from our time at the IUCN Global Youth Summit:
