Youth Day - Near East Forestry and Range Commission

Youth make up nearly 60 percent of the population in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region. They are the energy, innovation, and resilience needed to confront the region’s most pressing challenges - desertification, land degradation, water scarcity, and climate change. Their future depends on the sustainable management of forests and rangelands, yet they are often excluded from the very decisions that shape their lives.

The 70th anniversary of the FAO Near East Forestry and Range Commission (NEFRC), celebrated in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, marks a historic moment. For the first time, youth will formally join the NEFRC process, raising their voices and contributing solutions for sustainable forestry and rangeland management. The Youth Day on September 28 will not only honor this milestone but also launch a journey that continues into next year, when the world will recognize the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP). This observance highlights the global importance of rangelands and pastoralists to ecosystems, livelihoods, and food security. Alongside, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration reminds us of the urgent need to prevent, halt, and reverse land degradation worldwide - an agenda where youth must play a central role.

Through this process, young people in NENA and beyond will unite their efforts to provide concrete recommendations on how youth engagement can improve the management of forest and rangeland resources in the region. Drawing from current initiatives and best practices across the globe, they will exchange ideas, knowledge, and hopes for a better future by working together to:

• Close data and research gaps, identifying knowledge needs and advancing evidence-based solutions;
• Advance governance and inclusiveness, ensuring youth voices shape equitable and transparent decision-making;
• Foster innovation and entrepreneurship, supporting youth-led enterprises and green jobs in forests and rangelands.

This virtual event, with interpretation in Arabic, English and French, ensures broad and inclusive participation. Its outcomes will deliver youth-driven recommendations, a strategic action plan for meaningful engagement, and a platform for regional collaboration.

As we celebrate NEFRC’s 70 years of progress, we look forward with determination. Like the canopy that grows stronger with care, this is our shared journey- to water our future together, restore our ecosystems, and place youth at the heart of forestry and rangeland management for generations to come.

 

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