Restoring Land, Restoring Hope: Youth Leadership for Resilient Futures
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia | 22 August 2026 | 08:30–10:00 | MET-30
Resilient40 successfully convened its official youth-dedicated side event, “Restoring Land, Restoring Hope: Youth Leadership for Resilient Futures,” during the 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
The session brought together young climate and environmental leaders, policymakers, civil society representatives, land restoration practitioners and other stakeholders to spotlight the critical role of young people in addressing land degradation, desertification and drought while building resilient communities and sustainable futures.
The event provided an important platform for African and global youth voices to contribute to conversations on land restoration and sustainable land management. It highlighted the knowledge, innovation and leadership of young people who are already developing community-driven solutions to some of the most pressing environmental challenges facing their communities.
Youth at the Centre of Land Restoration
The discussions recognised that land degradation is not simply an environmental challenge—it is deeply connected to livelihoods, food security, water, climate resilience, employment, migration and the future wellbeing of communities.
Participants explored how youth can move from being viewed primarily as beneficiaries of environmental programmes to becoming active leaders, innovators, decision-makers and partners in land restoration and resilience-building.
The session emphasised the importance of:
- Investing in youth-led land restoration and nature-based solutions;
- Expanding access to climate and restoration finance for young people and community organisations;
- Strengthening youth participation in national, regional and global environmental decision-making;
- Recognising and supporting Indigenous and local knowledge in land restoration;
- Creating decent green jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities for young people;
- Strengthening partnerships between governments, civil society, communities, development partners and youth-led organisations; and
- Ensuring that restoration efforts are locally led, inclusive, gender-responsive and grounded in community priorities.
From Restoration to Resilience
For Resilient40, restoring degraded land is ultimately about restoring hope and creating opportunities for communities to thrive.
Across Africa, young people are at the forefront of efforts to restore ecosystems, strengthen food systems, protect water resources, build climate resilience and create innovative livelihoods. Yet many youth-led initiatives continue to face barriers to finance, technology, institutional support and meaningful participation in policy processes.
The COP17 side event therefore called for a renewed commitment to placing young people at the heart of the land restoration agenda, recognising them not only as future leaders but as leaders and change-makers today.
Strengthening Africa’s Youth Voice
The event also reinforced Resilient40’s broader commitment to ensuring that African youth perspectives are meaningfully represented within global climate, environmental and development processes.
Through its growing network across Africa, Resilient40 continues to create spaces where young people can connect local experiences with regional and global policy discussions, advocate for ambitious action and contribute practical solutions to interconnected climate, ecological, food and water challenges.
The successful COP17 side event represents another important milestone in this work and demonstrates the power of youth-led advocacy, cross-regional collaboration and collective action.
As the global community continues to confront land degradation, desertification and drought, Resilient40 believes that the pathway forward must be one where restoring land also means restoring livelihoods, restoring ecosystems, restoring dignity and restoring hope.
The future of resilient landscapes is being shaped today and young people must be at the centre of that transformation.
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