Land and Youth Digital Conference

9-11 September 2025. Land and Youth Digital Conference by GFAiR's Collective Action on Land Tenure and Climate Change.

It was based on a call for session. Some 70 proposals were submitted.

The free, global, fully digital conference amplified youth voices on land governance and climate change ahead of COP30 in Brazil, creating a platform for Indigenous youth, practitioners, and land surveyors to share priorities and insights for shaping policy agendas. Over three days, participants joined panels, roundtables, and storytelling sessions across time zones, based on an initial Call for Session Proposals which invited young leaders and organizations to design sessions on land, social justice, climate, migration, Indigenous rights, and digital access.

The Land & Youth Digital Conference was organized by the Land Portal Foundation, working in collaboration with a range of youth and regional partners: Youth Initiative for Land in Africa (YILAA), Global Alliance of Territorial Communities (GATC), Arab Youth Center (AYC), Espaço Feminista, The Invisible Thread (TINTA), Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ANGOC), and Conexión LA with support of GFAiR.

Extract of the agenda

09/11 Opening Plenary: Land, Youth, and Climate Change

The opening plenary of the Land and Youth Digital Conference 2025 set the tone for three days of dialogue by exploring the central role of land in shaping youth identities, opportunities, and futures amid climate change. It began with a welcome and introduction that highlighted links between youth, land governance, climate resilience, and open data, before moving into a moderated conversation that brought together diverse perspectives on tenure (in)security and climate challenges. The discussion surfaced practical insights and examples of youth-driven change, while also calling on participants to engage, share, and collaborate across borders and generations to shape just and sustainable land futures.

  • Betty Adjei - Operations and Programs Director, Green Africa Youth Organization
  • Bekezela Mguni - Research Intern, Transparency International 

    "Because of the patriarchy system in Zimbabwe a women has to offer her body to the village chief to get land" 
     
  • Charl-Thom Bayer - Acting Team Leader, Land Portal Foundation
  • Jelyn Ogade - Project Staff and a youth advocate for cultural and environmental awareness , Xavier Science Foundation Inc.
  • Amanda Caroline Martins - Youth Leader, Quilombola Youth Commission
  • Diana Kyalo - Data Curator with the Land Portal Foundation, Da

 

09/09 Session 1: Restoring Our Lands: Youth-Led Solutions

Land degradation was highlighted as one of the greatest threats to food security, climate resilience, and ecosystem health, with the GEF’s efforts to prevent and reverse it improving ecosystems and livelihoods worldwide. The session examined how empowering the next generation was essential for lasting impact, showcasing how the GEF integrated youth into its land portfolio through the Small Grants Programme, large-scale programmatic initiatives, and education and leadership opportunities such as the Fonseca Leadership Program. Participants shared their experiences, challenges, and visions for inclusive youth engagement in land governance, with special attention given to the barriers faced by young people, women, and Indigenous Peoples.

  • Uxue Urteaga - Youth and Partnerships Analyst, Global Environment Facility, Global Environment Facility 
  • Aliou Mustafa - Indigenous Peoples Fellow at GEF; Solar energy technician 
  • Liliana Quispe - Peruvian development professional, YPARD Peru 
  • Sagar Aryal - Chief Technology Officer Christopher Kettle CGIAR
  • Ulrich Apel - Senior Environmental Specialist, GEF, Global Env

 

09/09 Session 2: Voices of the Land: Indigenous and Afro-descendant Youth Using Digital Media for Cultural Memory and Advocacy

In this session, Indigenous and Afro-descendant youth from Colombia, Bolivia, and Suriname showcased videos they had co-created with elders, communities, and NGOs to highlight youth-led initiatives, ancestral practices, and the cultural and environmental realities of their territories. They reflected on the creative process, sharing how digital tools helped them conduct research, engage with their communities, and strengthen intergenerational learning, cultural pride, and local governance. The session surfaced both the opportunities of digital media to amplify marginalized voices and document resilience, and the persistent digital divide that limited access to tools, training, and connectivity, while youth also shared their aspirations for using technology to advance storytelling, advocacy, and self-determination.

  • Ulrich Apel - Senior Environmental Specialist, GEF, Global Environment
  • Uxue Urteaga - Youth and Partnerships Analyst, Global Environment Facility, Global Environment Facility 
  • Aliou Mustafa - Indigenous Peoples Fellow at GEF; Solar energy technician, Cameroun 
  • Liliana Quispe - Peruvian development professional, YPARD Peru 
  • Sagar Aryal - Chief Technology Officer 
  • Christopher Kettle - CGIAR 

 

10/09 Session 3: Women’s Right to Land in the Changing World: Influencing Her Agency and Choices

The session examined the persistent inequalities in women’s access to and control over land in Asia, despite decades of reforms and mobilization, and highlighted how climate change, land degradation, and migration reshaped land governance. Five young women panelists from the ILC Youth Constituency, representing diverse groups such as Indigenous women, pastoralists, farmers, nomadic herders, and urban youth, shared their perspectives on the significance of land ownership for women’s agency and empowerment, the intersecting barriers limiting access, and innovative policy and programmatic solutions. They emphasized that securing women’s land rights was not only crucial for gender equality but also a transformative force for communities and economies.

  • Megha Sheth Development communciations professional, International Land Coalition 
  • Gandolgor Davaasuren Herder 
  • Apurwa Sailja Senior Project Manager , Foundation for Ecological Security, India 
  • Dinah Ridadiyanah Rukasen Beypi

 

10/09 Session 4: Land, youth and employment: making access to land a lever for inclusive growth

The session addressed the alarming gap between the 360 million young people projected to enter the labor market by 2030 and the limited number of available jobs, asking whether secure access to land could be part of the solution. Led by a practitioner from Côte d’Ivoire’s PRESFOR programme, it highlighted how inclusive rural land reforms—especially for youth and women—stimulated entrepreneurship, facilitated credit, encouraged sustainable agriculture, and could generate thousands of jobs. Drawing on data, testimonies, and concrete experiences, participants showcased the impact of land tenure security on employment and growth, shared participatory governance initiatives, and called on decision-makers to integrate land issues into climate and employment policies while co-developing youth-led proposals for COP30.

  • Innocent Antoine Houedji - Founder - CEO | Youth Initiative for Land in Africa (YILAA), Youth Initiative for Land in Africa (YILAA)
  • Annick Assahon - Présidente de l’ONG Renaissance TERRE et Responsable d’Ingénierie Socio-Foncière, ONG Renaissance TERRE, Côte d'Ivoire
  • Guillaume Sanlegbeu - Spécialiste du foncier rural, Côte d’Ivoire
  • Maitre Zorobi Irié - Juriste ivoirien (Lawyer, Côte d'Ivoire), Renaissance 

 

10/09 Session 5: Climate Resilience – Preparing Youth for the Future

The workshop “Climate Resilience – Preparing Youth for the Future” focused on empowering young people as local agents of transformation to strengthen community resilience in the face of climate change. Over 80 minutes of interactive online activities, participants explored the concept of climate resilience, identified challenges, and developed tailored strategies through group work, practical exercises, and experience sharing. Emphasizing youth leadership and intercultural dialogue, the session valued diverse perspectives, highlighted partnerships with local networks such as Associação Assoaco in Quelimane, and promoted sustainable, community-driven solutions for a more just and resilient future.

  • António Luís Nhanala - Director Executivo, Visão para Ajuda Humanitária (VISAH)
  • Alberto Edmundo Alifo - Especialista em desenvolvimento comunitário e salvaguardas ambientais e sociais
  • Germias Horácio - Engenheiro Agrônomo e docente no Curso de Licenciatura em Gestão Ambiental
  • Romy Sato - Land Portal's Research & Knowledge Manager, Lan

 

Session 6: Youth in the Crosshairs: Criminalization of Territorial Defenders

  • Hero Aprila - Chairman of the Indigenous Youth Front of the Archipelago (BPAN), Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN); Indigenous Youth Front of the Archipelago (BPAN)
  • María Guarchaj Carrillo - Sara Omi
  • Joyce Mezua - Community Facilitator, Juventud Indígena Panamá

 

11/09 Session 7: Youth-Led Land Tech: GIS Tools for Climate Resilience

The session spotlighted how young people led innovation in land governance and climate resilience through geospatial technologies, with examples ranging from digital tool training in Togo to forest monitoring in Nigeria and desertification assessments in the Sahel. 

Youth applied GIS, satellite imagery, and mobile apps to map risks, document land use, and support climate-smart agriculture, while case studies, toolkits, and participatory mapping methods were shared by youth leaders, researchers, and practitioners. Discussions emphasized open data, equitable access, and partnerships with NGOs, governments, and academia, and the session fostered collaboration across youth networks such as YouthMappers and the Young Surveyors Network, resulting in actionable recommendations to strengthen youth roles in climate and land governance.

  • Moderator Romy Sato (see picture) - Land Portal's Research & Knowledge Manager, Land Portal's Research & Knowledge Manager
  • Adjaratou Seydou - Founder of Mon Choix Ma carrière, Togo
  • Paul Tomilola Elufisan
  • Abdulhamid Tahir Hamid - National Coordinator of the Youth Climate Council Nigeria
  • Maman Houloud - Mentor at Greening Africa Together (GATo-Togo), Mento
  • Aboukey Gnimdou - Geomatics engineer and climate scientist, creator of the Spot2gether platform, Geomatics engineer and climate scientist, creator of the Spot2gether platform Togo
  • Olatunbosun Victor Ayoola - graduate of Surveying and Geoinformatics from the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) Nigeria
  • Mustapha Aminu - CEO of YIRBAS General Contractors Ltd and Research Assistant with Nigeria’s Research & Innovation Working Group

 

11/09 Session 8: Land, Nature, and Climate Justice: Youth-Led Action for Resilient Territories

 

The session highlighted how the climate crisis, land injustices, and environmental degradation
intersected with global inequalities, and young people from YOUNGO led reflections on integrating climate, nature, and land agendas through youth leadership. Drawing on global experiences, youth shared their work in advocacy, education, restoration, open technologies, and climate justice, while also addressing barriers to land access in the Global South and the need for stronger youth roles in governance and COP30. 

  • YOUNGO is the official children and youth constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). 
  • YOUNGO is a vibrant, global network of children and youth activists (up to 35 years) as well as youth NGOs, who contribute to shaping the intergovernmental climate change policies and strive to empower children and youth to formally bring their voices to the UNFCCC processes.

Through interactive discussions, polls, and experience sharing, the session strengthened connections between youth and territories, emphasizing intergenerational justice, territorial rights, and ecosystem protection.

  • Moderator Romy Sato - Land Portal's Research & Knowledge Manager, Land Portal's Research & Knowledge Manager
  • Moderator Joanne Chu - YOUNGO, Nature Working Group Contact Point
  • Wening Ila Idzatilangi - Field Manager Consultant at Forestwise, West Kalimantan
  • Jin Tanaka - Environmental policy professional and youth advocate
  • Joana Soares - YOUNGO, Nature Echo Working Group Contact Point
  • Vincent Mugwati - Global Health Advocate and Rare Disease Advocate - Vincent T. Mugwati is a medical student and passionate youth advocate with proven leadership in health especially in the rare disease community. He currently serves as Youth Advocate for Rare Diseases International, National Program Coordinator for the Zimbabwe Medical Students' Association

 

11/09 Closing Plenary

closing_lenary

As the Land & Youth Digital Conference 2025 came to a close, it returned to the voices, stories, and lessons shared over the past three days. This session gathered insights from the rapporteurs, highlight the key messages emerging from youth leaders worldwide, and explored the road ahead toward COP30 in Brazil. A panel of young land and climate advocates reflected on how these takeaways connect to global policy priorities and local struggles, followed by participant reflections and final closing remarks.

  • Betty Adjei - Green Africa Youth Organization
  • Diana Kyalo - Data Curator with the Land Portal Foundation
  • Shimron Kiptoo - Chepkitale Indigenous People Development Project
  • Mike Beaudelaire AZONSOP - Écosystèmes et Développement (ECODEV)
  • Charl-Thom Bayer - Land Portal Foundation
  • Atif Jawed - Climate change and sustainability advocate
  • Luis Baquero - Data Manager with the Land Portal Foundation
  • Nansedalia Ramírez - Youth Movement of the Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests
  • Amanda Martinez - Content Editor -- Land Portal
  • Romy Sato - Land Portal's Research & Knowledge Manager, Land Portal's Research & Knowledge Manager

 

Upcoming Youth and Land Tenure and Climate Change webinars

22 September 2025. From Innovation to Restoration: Building Kenya’s Youth-Led Restoration Economy (UNCCD/G20 Global Land Initiative) 

 

25 September 2025. Webinar Invitation: Sustainable Land Management Colloquium Series 20

  • Dr. Asare-Nuamah will share lessons  learned from two years of participatory engagements in northern Ghana, highlighting pathways for scaling sustainable land management and agricultural innovations across Africa.

 

November 2024. UNCCD Youth Caucus Road to COP16 Webinar Series

Date
2025-09-09 - 2025-09-11
Free social tags
Youth
GFAiR