Youth at the Table: Lessons from IPBES12
Guest blog by Hafsah Abdi, CYMG to UNEP Delegation to IPBES 12: Hafsah is an MA Development Studies student at York University, Toronto, Canada. “Every business depends on biodiversity, and every business impacts biodiversity.” This was the final message read after a very intense week attending the 12th Plenary of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). From 3-8 February 2026, five CYMG delegates joined over 150 member governments, scientists, Indigenous peoples, and civil society actors in the industrial city of Manchester, United Kingdom, to negotiate and approve key scientific outputs. This marked the first time a Children and Youth Major Group to the United Nations Environment Programme (CYMG to UNEP) delegation participated in an IPBES forum after obtaining accreditation in November 2025. Often called the biodiversity equivalent of the IPCC, IPBES is the leading intergovernmental body ...
