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Youth Participation in the CBD
Outcomes from CBD SBSTTA27 & SB8j1
(October 2025 in Panama City, Panama)
The Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) of the CBD has a mandate to provide expert advice and recommendations related to the scientific, technical, and technological aspects of the Convention. In a landmark decision at COP 16 in Cali, Parties agreed to establish a new permanent Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j) and Other Provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity Related to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (SB8J). The new Subsidiary Body is expected to elevate issues related to the implementation of Article 8j and enhance the engagement and participation of indigenous peoples and local communities in all convention processes. ​​The twenty-seventh meeting of the SBSTTA (SBSTTA-27) was held in Panama from 20 to 24 October 2025, back-to-back with the First meeting of the SB8J (SB8J-1), from 27 to 30 October 2025
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This report summarizes the outcomes of GYBN’s active participation at SBSTTA27 & SB8j1, both within and at the margins of the negotiations. It features outcomes of youth advocacy in the negotiations, as well as updates on youth-led side events, actions, press conferences, capacity building, communications, and other activities.
Outcomes from CBD COP16
(October-November 2024 in Cali, Colombia and February 2025 in Rome, Italy)
The 16th Meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16) was held on October 21–November 2, 2024 in Cali, Colombia, and resumed on February 25-27 in Rome, Italy. As the international coordination platform for youth participation in the CBD, GYBN over the years has coordinated youth delegations to CBD and has provided scholarships to young people to attend the COP. Ensuring youth participation in CBD process has been essential in enabling the integration of youth priorities into the CBD, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and their engagement in implementation. COP16 was no exception, with more than 100 GYBN members present to ensure that their perspectives are heard and taken into account in these decision-making processes that impact them.
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This report summarizes the outcomes of GYBN’s active participation at CBD COP16, both within and at the margins of the negotiations. It features outcomes of youth advocacy in the negotiations, as well as updates on youth-led side events, parallel events, actions, press conferences, capacity building, communications, and other activities.
Outcomes From SBSTTA-26 & SBI-4 (May 2024 | Nairobi, Kenya)
The 26th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-26) and 4th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI-4) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was held in May 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya. A GYBN delegation was active on the ground to amplify youth voices and integrate them into the negotiations.
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This report features the outcomes from SBSTTA-26 and SBI-4, including updates on the negotiations, key messages from GYBN interventions, participation in side events, and more. On the agenda for these meetings were Resource Mobilization, NBSAP updating, the Global Review process, the GBF Monitoring Framework, Mainstreaming, Synthetic Biology, Biodiversity and Health, Marine & Coastal Biodiversity, and more.
Outcomes From SBSTTA-25 (October 15-23, 2023 | Nairobi, Kenya)
The 25th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-25) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was held on October 15-23, 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya. GYBN members participated and brought youth voices within and outside the negotiation rooms.
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This report features the outcomes from SBSTTA-25, including updates on the negotiations, key messages from GYBN interventions, participation in side events, and more. On the agenda for this meeting were the Monitoring Framework of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Biodiversity & Climate Change, the recent assessments of IPBES and the IPCC, the Global Review process, Invasive Alien Species, Plant Conservation, and Sustainable Wildlife Management, among others.