Youth Negotiators Academy

As we get into the New Year, we're reflecting on what has certainly been our most impactful year yet - 2024! We: ?? Participated in 3 Rio Convention COPs: CBD COP16, UNFCCC COP29 and UNCCD COP16 ?? Delivered two training programmes across two of the three Rio Conventions (Climate Youth Negotiator Programme for the third year + Land Youth Negotiator Programme for the first year) ?? Launched the Biodiversity Youth Negotiator Programme (BYNP) to be delivered in 2026 ?? Trained a total of 400+ young negotiators to participate in either the #UNCCD or #UNFCCC negotiations ?? Supported 200+ young negotiators on the ground at both COP29 and COP16 ?? Funded 83 young negotiators to participate in both COP29 and COP16 ?? Grew our team to 15, from 12 countries ?? Partnered with 80+ countries ?? Delivered 2 three-day in-person trainings over 6 days hosting 115+ negotiators delivered by 5 experts We couldn't have done it without YOU, our wonderfully supportive YNA community. In only our third year of operations, we are incredibly proud of what we achieved. We're looking forward to yet another impactful year of driving intergenerational environmental justice in 2025! Happy New Year????. #YouthNegotiators #YNA #ClimateChange #ClimateAction #EnvironmentalJustice #ClimateJustice

After two weeks, #COP16 is over! We can't believe what a whirlwind of a time it has been. ?? We are incredibly proud of what our wonderful cohort of 36 young negotiators from the Land Youth Negotiator Programme have achieved throughout COP16. They have passionately and eloquently made intergenerational collaboration a reality within the #UNCCD space, and skillfully utilised the learning they gathered from their 6 months of training as they finally took their seats around the negotiation table. ?? As this was YNA's first ever UNCCD COP, we leave feeling excited for the future of our involvement in land negotiations, and grateful for the many new connections we have forged in this space. ?? Here's a look at some of our highlight moments at COP16 ?? #cop16riyadh #youthnegotiators #UNCCD

We are thrilled to have hosted our own press conference at COP16Riyadh this week to spread the word about the Land Youth Negotiator Programme (LYNP), the importance of drawing connections between the three Rio Conventions, and why intergenerational collaboration is so needed in the multilateral decision making space. ???? As YNA co-founder and LYNP lead Marie-Claire shared, “Young people can be the vital bridge we need so desperately between the three Rio Conventions” - this is why it was so important for YNA to expand from the climate negotiation space and into the land negotiation space. ?? We were lucky enough to be joined be an excellent line up of speakers from the LYNP community, including: ?? Dorothy Mumbi, LYNP trained young negotiator from Zambia ?? Sherwyn Greenidge, LYNP trained young negotiator from Antigua + Barbuda ?? Laura Rahmeier, Senior Project Manager at Robert Bosch Stiftung, a partner + funder of YNA and the LYNP ?? Absalom Sakala, National Focal Point to the UNCCD for Zambia, and dear friend of the LYNP? ?? Marie-Claire Graf, YNA Co-founder + LYNP Lead To watch the full press conference, visit this link ?? https://lnkd.in/gx2Qdbwg #unccd #pressconference #cop16riyadh #youthnegotiators #youthnegotiatorsacademy

POV: young negotiators arriving at the #UNCCD COP16Riyadh to fight for intergenerational climate justice ??????? We collabed with the wonderful Conscious Planet to create some fun content showcasing the important role that young people pay in advocating for soil health, land restoration, and environmental justice ?? #youthnegotiators #youthnegotiatorsacademy #savesoil #savesoilsavelife #unccd

As we reach the mid-point of the first week of #COP16, we wanted to share the thoughts, feelings & anticipations our LYNP cohort had on day 3 of our pre-COP in-person training ?? Dorothy Mumbi, one of our Land youth negotiators, shares, "it's been a lot of emotions, being around amazing people that are fighting for something that's truly affecting all of us...hopefully we all achieve what we're fighting for, and we can create a future and space that we'll be happy to look at." During our 3 day in-person training ahead of COP16, our lovely facilitator Luea Ritter created a safe, warm, and supportive environment in which our young negotiators could be open, honest, and vulnerable. ?? Follow along on our COP16 journey as we support our young negotiators, share insights into the #UNCCD space & give you a glimpse into what YNA does ??. COP16Riyadh #cop16riyadh #Desertification #Land #youthnegotiatorsacademy

We've been getting into the swing of things at COP16Riyadh, which is the very first #UNCCD COP that the Youth Negotiators Academy have attended ??????? Our highlights include: ?? Our very first side event at the Restoration Pavilion with LYNP young negotiator audrey nyarai on the panel ?? The Hotspot becoming a lively hub of community support, wellbeing & joy ?? Learning more about the #UNCCD space and meeting lots of new people We can’t wait to see what the rest of Week 1 brings as we take our mission to transform multilateral decision making processes through building intergenerational solidarity to the #UNCCD COP! ???? Take a look at our time at #COP16 so far. ?? #youthnegotiators #youthnegotiatorsacademy #unccd #cop16

Audrey Nyarai, one of our Land youth negotiators, will be speaking at a side event organised by the G20 Global Land Initiative at the Restoration Pavilion in the DEL-C area tomorrow (3rd Dec) at 15:30 AST. If you're in Riyadh for the #UNCCD #COP16, please join us! See you there ??

Today, the UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, begins ?? Amongst the three Rio Conventions, the #UNFCCC draws the most international attention, but the CBD and UNCCD are equally as important multilateral processes in fighting for environmental justice. ???? FUN FACT: This is the first ever time YNA have attended a UNCCD COP! ?? As we embark on this learning journey as a team, we want to bring you along with us. Throughout COP16Riyadh, we’ll be sharing educational content & insights into the importance of desertification and land degradation, as well as updates on what our 46 Land Youth Negotiators get up to. ?? To begin, here’s a deep dive into what the #UNCCD is and what the key issues at COP16Riyadh are ??? ?? #youthnegotiators #youthnegotiatorsacademy #unccd #unccdcop16 #cop16riyadh

We are thrilled to have been kindly featured in an article by #GreenandBeyondMag, who have taken a deep dive into our work at #COP29 ?? ?? YNA Co-founder Veena Balakrishnan shares why the role of youth in multilateral decision making, "Young negotiators can strengthen trust in these systems and revitalise their purpose." ?? Marie-Claire Graf, also a YNA Co-founder, adds "We aim to ensure that young people have a genuine seat at the table as delegates representing their countries" Read the full article below to learn more about our mission, our wonderful young negotiators, and what we got up to at #COP29. ?? https://lnkd.in/e84zbBk2

Day 1 of the Land Youth Negotiator Programme in person training ahead of the UNCCD #COP16 in Riyadh is complete! ? Our wonderful trainers Christa Castro Varela (from CEMUNE) and Pamela Chasek (Earth Negotiations Bulletin) delivered an engaging and informative day of programming as we offer our LYNP 2024 cohort their final preparations before COP16 begins. ??? The day included: ?? Understanding the #UNCCD process ?? Insights into a day in the life of a negotiator ?? An introduction to preparing a statement ?? Insights into how decisions are made at the UNCCD COP A huge thank you to #iamhuna for hosting us in their space and to Buongiorno Bakehouse for providing delicious food. ?? We can’t wait to come back for Day 2! ?? #COP16 #land #environmentaljustice #riyadh