WFF Mongolia Youth Chapter launched to strengthen youth participation in agrifood systems

The World Food Forum (WFF) Mongolia Youth Chapter was formally launched on 27 August 2026 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, creating a new platform for young people to connect, innovate and contribute to the country's agrifood systems.

The Chapter was established with 25 young changemakers and supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Country Office in Mongolia and the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry. Its launch took place as part of the Youth4Soil Manifesto and International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026 programme during the seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17).

The launch highlighted the role of youth in land and soil restoration and the Chapter’s contribution to the UNCCD Youth Engagement Strategy. Its priorities are to empower and connect young people, promote youth innovation and entrepreneurship and strengthen youth participation in policy and decision-making.

"I am also pleased to celebrate today the launch of the WFF Mongolia National Youth Chapter. This milestone reflects FAO’s commitment to empowering women and young people by creating opportunities for meaningful engagement, leadership, partnerships and action across agrifood systems"- Beth Bechdol, FAO Deputy Director-General

The Chapter was active throughout COP17, creating opportunities for young people across the country's agrifood system to connect with global discussions and share local priorities. It also presented preliminary findings from its ongoing survey on youth and young women in pastoralism, bringing local youth perspectives into the wider discussion on pastoralism and rangeland systems.

On 21 August, ahead of the formal launch, the Chapter hosted a special podcast at the FAO Pavilion exploring “The Cashmere–Desertification Paradox”. Bringing together voices from ecology, policy, fashion and markets, the conversation examined how the country can move from producing more cashmere towards creating greater value from better, more sustainable cashmere, while reducing pressure on rangelands.

The discussion highlighted the connections between herder livelihoods, responsible production, global markets and rangeland health, showing how the future of the country’s cashmere value chain depends on the health of the land on which it depends.

The Chapter will build on its launch by strengthening its national network, connecting young herders, farmers, agripreneurs, researchers, students and innovators with opportunities to contribute to national agrifood systems discussions. It also aims to strengthen its connections with national youth stakeholders and the FAO Country Office in Mongolia, providing a basis for continued collaboration towards COP18 and beyond.