From Priorities to Protection: Youth Leadership for 30x30 and the High Seas
CBD COP17 marks a critical moment for moving from global biodiversity commitments to implementation. Achieving 30x30 will require more than designating protected areas: it will depend on effective and equitable governance, sustainable financing, participatory monitoring, community engagement, and long-term stewardship.
At the same time, the High Seas Treaty provides an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction. Its implementation will be essential to delivering meaningful ocean protection at the scale envisioned by 30x30. These two agendas are therefore deeply connected: progress toward marine 30x30 must link local and national conservation efforts with emerging governance and protection mechanisms for the High Seas.
Young people are already leading efforts to turn these commitments into action. Across regions, youth leaders are advancing marine protected area proposals, supporting national policy processes, conducting biodiversity research, leading participatory monitoring, mobilizing communities, and building international coalitions. However, young people are still too often engaged primarily as advocates or invited participants rather than recognized as implementation partners with expertise, constituencies, and solutions. Ahead of the first BBNJ Conference of the Parties (BBNJ COP1), there is an urgent need to establish meaningful pathways for youth participation, including representation within official and civil society delegations, access to capacity-building, opportunities to influence policy, and sustained coordination among youth networks.
This session will highlight youth priorities for High Seas Treaty implementation and concrete examples of youth-led 30x30 action at local, national, and regional levels.
Building on priorities developed through a youth working session at COP17, as well as practical experiences from young ocean leaders implementing marine conservation initiatives worldwide, this interactive session will create a space for youth organizations, governments, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, NGOs, scientists, and funders to identify concrete opportunities for collaboration. By connecting policy priorities with implementation experience and potential sources of technical and financial support, the session seeks to move beyond youth representation toward meaningful influence, investment, and partnership - turning global commitments into effective and equitable ocean protection by 2030.