Event Title: Empowering Youth: Capacity Development and Youth Engagement in Wetland Conservation and Sustainable Development

Date: 30 July 2025.

Time: 18:30-19:30 (Zimbabwe time zone)

Location: Gwayi room, Ramsar COP15 

Event Description: This side event will reflect on the various capacity development activities offered by humanitarian, development and environmental organizations on a global scale, including Ramsar International Organization Partners, Official Observer Organizations and more. The event will focus on the question if the current offers fully cover the needs of young people active in wetland conservation and sustainable use. Several environmental organizations and development agencies will give a short and concrete overview over their activities and lessons learned in capacity development and youth involvement related to wetlands in short pitches. The pitches will cover specific target groups, concrete learning experiences, particular means, outreach and limitations. In a moderated interview dialogue, the session will involve the perspective of representatives of Youth Engaged in Wetlands, the Ramsar Youth Working Group and other youth attendees. The young people will reflect on the various offers and exchange about the different approaches. With this, panel and audience will together analyse possible gaps and gather information for a common petition for supporting these approaches. Comments and insights will be collected and compiled into a draft roadmap after the COP15.

This will be shared with the organizations and beyond for further development and support for youth activities. The representation of the various approaches on a common and easily accessible online resource will be discussed.

Objectives and Outcome:
● Better knowledge of offers for youth empowerment and engagement
● Improved understanding of needs and perspectives of young people
● Vision on open questions on youth engagement
● Aspects to integrate a common programme for youth support by different agencies that include
humanitarian, development and environmental organizations on wetland conservation
● Draft roadmap for youth activities in wetland conservation

Lead organizations: German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Global Nature Fund, Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP), United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) Zimbabwe, Youth Engaged in Wetlands (YEW).

Partner organizations: Conservation Society of Monavale (COSMO Trust), Local Initiatives & Development (LID) Agency, Centre for Agro-entrepreneurship and Sustainable Livelihoods Trust (CASL), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Wetlands International, World Water Network (WWN; hosted by Wildfowl &
Wetlands Trust).