FAO Director-General meets with youth delegation at the World Forestry Congress in Seoul

Seoul – FAO Director-General QU Dongyu met with 15 members of the youth and young professional delegation attending the XV World Forestry Congress (WFC) in Seoul to share his support for their action in the forestry sector. 

The Director-General congratulated the youth delegation on their involvement and commitment, including the Youth Declaration developed for the Congress.

Qu added that he is committed to ensuring youth can contribute to agrifood systems transformation, noting various policies that he has brought in at FAO to strengthen the participation of youth and young professionals. This includes the creation of the Youth Committee which has had an important role in the promotion of innovation and transformation. 

He encouraged young people to bring their ideas further to other governance forums and policy discussions.

WFC’s youth delegation, led by the Youth Liaison Specialist Amos Amanubo (FAO), included representatives of diverse youth and young professional groups such as Global Indigenous Youth Caucus, Young Professionals for Agricultural Development, Youth4Nature, Youth in Landscapes, and the Forestry Young Professionals others.

The group expressed their appreciation to the Director-General for his recognition of youth as catalysts of change, and his work to encourage youth participation and empowerment at FAO. They also highlighted some of the key issues included in the youth declaration, such as education, employment, career development, access to finance and technology, and gender mainstreaming.