FAO, UNEP, and YEE call on youth to join UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

To launch the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration for youth in Europe, FAO Brussels, together with the Brussels office of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),  and Youth and Environment Europe (YEE), co-organized a virtual event on “Generation Restoration: YOUth Reconnecting with Nature.” The event, which was held in the run-up to World Environment Day  (5 June), was also supported by the European Youth Event 2021 and the World Food Forum.

Veronika Hunt Šafránková, Head of the UNEP office in Brussels, underscored the benefits of well-designed ecosystem restoration for all 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is likely to be impossible without a global, large-scale restoration of ecosystems, she stressed, and as leaders of the next generation, young people are key drivers of change.

Myrto Arvaniti, speaking on behalf of FAO Brussels Director ad interim Rodrigo de Lapuerta, highlighted the role of youth in the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the Sustainable Development Goals.

“Young people stand at the centre of this Decade. As a priority, the UN Decade seeks to build the capacity of those groups that stand to lose most from the continued destruction of our ecosystems – indigenous peoples, women and youth – and invites them to take an active role in the restoration of our ecosystems,” noted Arvaniti.

The event featured a panel presentation, moderated by a member of the FAO Youth Committee, guiding the discussion on how young leaders working in different fields shared their stories and insights on environmental restoration.

Félix Feider, Support Liaison Officer on Biodiversity at YEE, and Alina Lehikoinen, President of the International Forestry Students’ Association (IFSA) stressed the importance of restoration, and urged young people not only to advocate for global climate policies, but also to get actively involved in local projects that contribute to restoration.

Tanja Franotović, Communications Officer at the European Commission Directorate-General for the Environment, emphasized that a combined approach – coupling evidence-based policies with individual action on restoration – was crucial to ensuring long-lasting impact.

Other speakers included Jaee Nikam and Samanta Villegas Espinosa, co-authors of the GEO6 for Youth report, and Lefteris Arapakis, UNEP Young Champion of the Earth for Europe.

Led by UNEP and FAO, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is a rallying cry for the protection and revival of ecosystems around the world. Read more about the UN Decade here.

A recording of the “Generation Restoration: YOUth Reconnecting with Nature” event is available here.

“The event was also supported by the World Food Forum, a FAO Youth Committee initiative; and listed under the Green Track of the upcoming European Youth Event 2021 under the European Parliament.

For more on Generation Restoration:

• Take part in a survey collecting input from youth to better understand ecosystem restoration
• Sign up to join the #GenerationRestoration Movement
• Take part in the #GenerationRestoration snap challenge on social media