From 2-5 June 2026, the third biennial International Workshop of the Venice Agreement for Peatlands will be held in the papyrus-rich wetlands of Lake Victoria, Kenya—one of Africa’s most vital yet vulnerable peat-forming ecosystems. This international workshop, co-organized with Ecofinder Kenya and partners including the UN Environment Programme Global Peatlands Initiative, RE-PEAT, and the Michael Succow Foundation working together to convene a transdisciplinary network of peatland stewards, scientists, artists, and Indigenous leaders from across the globe.
The Venice Agreement on Peatlands is a living, breathing community tool for transdisciplinary peatland conservation. It is a medium of connection, a practice of coming together across differences. It invites us to reimagine conservation as a shared responsibility, one rooted not only in ecological data, but also in ancestral memory, spiritual connection, and cultural continuity. This vow is an echo from the bottom-up to the UN Environment Assembly Resolution for Peatlands and an activation of the local community toward a global resonance.
The gathering builds on the Venice Agreement’s commitment to grounded, convivial conservation. It will focus on African peatlands and their custodians, with workshops, artistic programmes, and the development of a “Living Menu of How-Tos" – practical, value-aligned strategies for reciprocal, community-led peatland care. As with past gatherings in Venice (2022) and Torres Vedras (2024), global underground workshops will precede the main event, advancing local action and supporting trans-local solidarity.
Find out more about the Venice Agreement for Peatlands and the event.
If you have any questions, please reach out to unep-ecosystems-gpi@un.org
