With the view to better capturing the insights and concerns of youth, a dedicated session was held during the 2024 Global Youth Environment Assembly (Global YEA) which took place in Nairobi, Kenya, from 17 to 18 February 2024. Global YEA is a crucial platform that gathers young environmental enthusiasts and policy advocates from around the world to participate in policy discussions and knowledge-sharing.

In this context, participants of the Global YEA were invited to participate in a customized 2-hour session that sought to gather views and input from representatives of the Children and Major Group (CYMG) on key issues and possible weak signals affecting planetary health and wellbeing. Participants were also led through a series of discussions to inform on the possible UNEP, as well as the broader UN system, should focus on in the future, taking into account specific issues, risks, and opportunities that youth will be facing at that time.

Additional information on the Youth Foresight Workshop can be found on the dedicated event page:

The outcomes of the horizon scanning, and foresight exercise will culminate into a Global Report to be published in 2024. This report will be supplemented with regionally specific and CYMG focused information that was drawn from each of the regional and youth workshops. It is also expected that the Report together any relevant insights and recommendations put forward through the regional workshops will inform the deliberations of the Summit of the Future in September 2024.

To ensure that these workshops achieve the intended objectives, UNEP partnered with the Children and Youth  Major Group and is grateful for the fruitful collaboration.