Youth Assembly
Thematic
consultations
and sessions
Desertification, land degradation and drought
In the context of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) 2026, led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and championed by Mongolia, the World Food Forum (WFF) Youth Assembly will leverage its global youth network, policy engagement mechanisms and agrifood systems focus to amplify the objectives of IYRP within its thematic area on desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD).
The Youth Assembly works in close collaboration with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Youth Caucus and partners to mobilize young people and gather youth perspectives on the role that agrifood systems must play in achieving land degradation neutrality. Through global youth consultations and the collection of youth-led good practices from the frontlines of DLDD, the Youth Assembly will support the development of policy-oriented knowledge products and advocacy tools, to be presented at the seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties of the UNCCD (COP17) in 2026. Youth priorities will focus on the restoration of degraded agricultural lands, sustainable rangeland management, the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices, the role of pastoralists, and the use of innovation and technology to prevent and reverse DLDD.
2025 engagements
In 2025, the WFF Youth Assembly convened a global youth consultation on Strengthening youth roles in integrated land use planning and emerging issues. The consultation introduced young participants to the updated FAO Guidelines for Integrated Land Use Planning and their nine-step methodology, highlighting participatory and integrated approaches to land use decision-making, as well as emerging issues related to climate change, land degradation neutrality, biodiversity restoration, urban and peri-urban agriculture, and tenure-based rights for Indigenous Peoples, women and youth.
In addition, during the World Food Forum 2025 flagship week, the Youth Assembly organized a youth consultation in collaboration with Land and Water Division (NSL) of FAO to gather inputs to the forthcoming FAO–UNCCD guidance on avoiding, reducing and reversing land and soil degradation of agricultural lands, developed in response to UNCCD Decision 19/COP.16.
Tentative 2026 engagements
In 2026, the Youth Assembly will advance a dedicated youth engagement and advocacy agenda in support of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP), while also strengthening youth contributions to agrifood systems and land management discussions under the UNCCD, in close partnership with the UNCCD Youth Caucus.
Key activities include:
- A global youth survey to gather the perspectives of young pastoralists on rangelands, sustainable land management and agrifood systems, with a focus on generating youth inputs relevant to COP17.
- The first global youth consultation on pastoralism and rangelands, mobility and climate resilience, aimed at capturing youth priorities on sustainable rangeland management, climate adaptation and pastoralist livelihoods.
- A youth consultation on agrifood systems and land management, co-organized with the UNCCD Youth Caucus and partners, to co-develop a consolidated youth statement to be presented at COP17.
- Active youth participation at COP17, including the presentation of youth policy brief, engagement in official sessions and intergenerational dialogues, and the dissemination of youth-led evidence and recommendations.
- A World Food Forum 2026 flagship event dedicated to pastoralism, rangelands and climate-resilient agrifood systems, serving as a global platform to amplify youth perspectives and policy priorities emerging from the 2026 youth engagement process.
Timeline
2026
March
- Launch of global survey on young women and youth pastoralism to inform Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17) and International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP)
April
- Participation in Madrid International Meeting of young pastoralists
May
- Virtual youth consultation (land governance, food systems, gender)
June
- Desertification and Drought Day
- Youth consultation for young pastoralist to gather inputs for policy brief
July
- Webinar in lead up to COP17 with UNCCD Youth Caucus and other partners
August
- Participation at UNCCD COP17 in Mongolia
- Official launch of Youth & Pastoralism Policy Brief
October
- World Food Forum Flagship
November
- Launch of “Youth for Rangelands & Pastoralists” digital campaign
News
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