| All |
Scientific/technical activities |
8.096 Mainstreaming mentorship for young ecological stewards to enhance conservation effort
Action points of the resolution
IUCN Resolution 8.096 Mainstreaming mentorship for young ecological stewards to enhance conservation efforts (formerly Motion 097), was adopted at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in October 2025. The resolution aims to mainstream mentorship across IUCN Member organisations, governments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), academic institutions, and the private sector.
The action points of the Resolution establish specific operational mandates for different arms of the Union, its leadership, and external partners:
1. For the Director General & Secretariat, to advocate for the integration of youth mentorship with an explicit focus on Indigenous youth - across member strategies. Train Secretariat staff members to serve as effective mentors, embedding reciprocal guidance into standard IUCN operations;
2. For IUCN Commissions e.g., CEESP & CEC to co-create the standardized guidance framework for intergenerational mentorship grounded in equity, reciprocity, mutual safety, and protection for young environmental defenders;
3. For Member Organizations, NGOs & Academia, to institutionalize youth mentorship models into core conservation programming, deliver mentorship in local and Indigenous languages, and share best practices through IUCN platforms to establish a global community of practice;
4. For Donors, Funding Bodies & Governments, to provide targeted incentives and prioritize funding for programs that pair senior experts with young leaders, with explicit support for underrepresented groups and youth-led initiatives.
Progress reported to date:
1. YOUTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE
· The selection of the second cohort of the UCN Youth Advisory Committee is at its finalization stage with ~150 applications screened and interviews conducted with 30+ applicants. Formal appointments are expected to be held in the course of October 2026.
2. WORK OF THE TASK FORCE ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF IMPLEMENTATION OF RESOLUTION 8.096.
The Wild Foundation is currently developing a concept note regarding the implementation of the resolution as its sponsor. The purpose of this concept note is to provide a practical pathway for implementing IUCN Resolution 8.096 by outlining the objectives, proposed approach, key activities, partners and roles, expected results, timeline, and resource needs for the next three years, leading up to the IUCN World Conservation Congress in 2029.
3. A YOUNG SECRETARIAT STAFF MEMBER WITHIN PCHAT HAS BEEN DESIGNATED AS THE FOCAL POINT FOR RESOLUTION 8.096.
• Aissa Traore, Programme Officer, Protected Conserved and Heritage Areas Team / IUCN Headquarters
· The IUCN Secretariat, through the dedicated youth focal point within PCHAT, is responsible for coordinating the implementation of resolution 8.096 and two other key World Conservation Congress (WCC) resolutions on youth engagement and nature conservation:
Resolution 8.122: Accelerating equitable youth empowerment and engagement across the Union;
Resolution 8.100: Organisation of a Global Youth Summit prior to each IUCN World Conservation Congress;
Resolution 8.096: Mainstreaming mentorship for young ecological stewards to enhance conservation efforts;
• In addition, the same team within the Secretariat co-leads Output 3 of the IUCN Nature 2030 Programme, which focuses on culture and youth engagement. The Secretariat's youth focal point convenes a network of youth focal points from across the Secretariat to review implementation progress, strengthen internal coordination, share lessons learned, and identify opportunities to advance youth-related commitments across the Union. This coordination mechanism helps ensure that policy commitments adopted through Congress resolutions are effectively integrated into programme delivery and institutional practice.
|
On-going |
Full activity report |
